Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way in which the transfer of reasonability for the administration of rent allowance has been rolled out between the Department of Social and Family Affairs and his Department in conjunction with local authorities; the number of persons currently on rent allowance for each local authority area in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26085/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the rental accommodation scheme, RAS, announced by the Government in July 2004, local authorities will, over a four-year period, progressively assume responsibility for accommodating supplementary welfare allowance or SWA rent supplement recipients of 18 months or more continuous duration with a long-term housing need.

The RAS is a collaborative project between my Department, local authorities, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the community welfare service. All local authorities are due to implement the new arrangements during 2005. Roll-out commenced in an initial group of lead authorities, namely Dublin, Galway and Limerick city councils, South Dublin, Donegal, Offaly and Westmeath county councils and Drogheda Borough Council. Cork city and county councils and South Tipperary County Council are now implementing the RAS.

The main actions to date have been to put in place the structures necessary to commence the project, identify and resolve issues arising and to engage resources needed to support implementation. Programme managers have been appointed initially to assist the lead authorities but thereafter to be available to support other authorities over the implementation period. Regional and local implementation groups in the lead authority areas have been established to ensure effective ongoing liaison and co-operation locally between housing authorities, health service executive areas and other welfare agencies. A number of seminars have been held in the lead authorities to inform accommodation providers of the new scheme and receive their views. Training seminars for local authority housing practitioners are to commence from November 2005.

Work is ongoing in the lead authorities towards identifying persons on rent supplement in need of long-term housing support. Starting with persons who have been in receipt of rent supplement for 18 months or more, community welfare officers in health service executive areas are continuing to review cases which, subject to meeting eligibility criteria, are in the process of being transferred to the relevant housing authority for the purposes of establishing long-term housing need.

Where a long term housing need is identified by the local authority, it will set about sourcing suitable accommodation for the household under the rental accommodation scheme as quickly as possible. The first transfers to the RAS occurred this month and the pilot local authorities are currently negotiating with accommodation providers in their areas. Pilot projects to secure long-term contracts for the supply of rented accommodation are also being advanced.

Based on Department of Social and Family Affairs data, a table detailing the number of recipients in receipt of rent supplement by county on the 16 September 2005 is attached. The data is not available for each local authority area. As only rent supplement recipients of 18 months or more duration with a long term housing need are eligible to transfer to the RAS, not all current rent supplement recipients will be eligible for the RAS.