Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 442: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people in receipt of rent allowance or supplement in an area (details supplied); the gender percentage of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7032/06]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 443: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people in receipt of rent allowance or supplement in an area (details supplied); the gender percentage of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7033/06]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 444: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who are receiving rent allowance or supplement in an area (details supplied); the gender percentage of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7034/06]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 445: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people on rent allowance in an area (details supplied); the gender percentage of the recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7035/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 442 to 445, inclusive, together.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. The purpose of the scheme is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Neither I nor my Department has any function in decisions on individual claims. The information requested the Deputy is shown in the following tabular statement.

Rent supplements are provided through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. As of 17 February 2006 the number of people nationwide in receipt of rent supplement was 60,217. Expenditure and recipients of rent supplement from 2000 to 2005 is as follows: