Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of the rent supplement who have children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11922/05]

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who were in receipt of the rent supplement for 18 months or more who were passed on to their local authority for a housing assessment and have had their housing needs met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11919/05]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 97: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress which has been made on the long-term initiative for rent supplement tenants as announced on 4 July 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11916/05]

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who have been availing of the rent supplement for 18 months or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11917/05]

Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons who have been receiving the rent supplement for 18 months or more who have been passed on to a local authority for a housing assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11918/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 81, 96, 97, 120 and 139 together.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent or mortgage interest is available to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme is administered on my behalf by the Health Service Executive.

There are currently some 58,000 households in receipt of a rent supplement payment. The scheme involves payment in respect of the household in aggregate, without specific additions for adult or child dependants as is the case with basic supplementary welfare allowances and other social welfare scheme payments generally. For this reason, the computer systems used to record rent supplement claims and generate payments does not contain family composition data and, as a result, it is not readily possible to get a detailed breakdown of cases where there are children involved.

However, my Department carried out a sample survey of claims in the course of a review in mid-2004 of the changes in the rent supplement scheme that year. This survey indicated that almost 50% — equivalent to some 29,000 of the total — of rent supplement households have children.

As Deputies will be aware, a significant number of people have come to rely on rent supplements on a long-term basis over the years. The initiative referred to was the subject of a Government decision in respect of new rental assistance arrangements announced in July 2004. These new arrangements will see local authorities assume responsibility for meeting long-term housing assistance needs, including those of people on rent supplements for 18 months or longer. These needs will be met through a range of approaches, including the traditional range of social housing options, the voluntary housing sector and, in particular, a new public private partnership type rental accommodation scheme. The sum of €19 million has been transferred from my Department's Vote to the Environment, Heritage and Local Government vote to finance this initiative.

The social welfare rent supplement scheme will continue to provide short-term income support for people who are unable to meet their immediate accommodation needs through their own resources. The aim of the new arrangements is to minimise ongoing dependence on rent supplement. The objective is to progress to a situation where suitable long-term accommodation is available for all who need it and where the rent supplement scheme is not necessary other than for short-term support. This will be achieved within a period of three years from commencement of the new arrangements in each local authority and in any event no later than September 2008.

The new arrangements are currently being implemented in seven local authorities. My Department and the Health Service Executive are actively assisting the local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in this process. The new arrangements will be initiated in all local authority areas by the end of 2005.

The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government has appointed programme managers to assist the lead authorities with the implementation of the new arrangements. Thereafter these managers will be available to support other authorities over the implementation period. Regional and local implementation groups in the seven lead authority areas have been established to ensure effective ongoing liaison and co-operation locally between housing authorities, Health Service Executive areas and other agencies.

In addition, a number of seminars have been held in the lead authorities to inform landlords and other potential accommodation providers of the new scheme and receive their views. I am also aware that some local authorities have already initiated contact with landlords in their areas. The lead local authorities have targeted 1 May 2005 as the date for the first transfer of eligible rent supplement recipients to the rental accommodation scheme.

My Department has provided summary rent supplement data to the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government to aid in the identification of those in receipt of rent supplement for 18 months or more who are likely to be in need of accommodation under the new arrangements. In addition, arrangements are in place at a local level for the Health Service Executive to provide any additional information that may be required to local authorities to assist them with their housing needs assessments.

Almost 30,000 households have been in receipt of a rent supplement payment for 18 months or more and are likely to benefit under the new arrangements being developed throughout the country. Individual details of these households have been extracted by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive for notification to the relevant local authorities.

Overall, I am satisfied that the new rental assistance arrangements represent a major step forward in supporting people with long-term housing needs and that all the relevant agencies are co-operating actively to make the system work successfully.