Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if there is information to suggest whether the cap on supplementary rent allowance has had the effect of reducing or stagnating private sector rents or whether instead this cap has increased the tendency of tenants to unofficially make up the shortfall between the actual rent charged to them and the level of assistance provided; the way in which such trends are monitored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17663/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist eligible people who are unable to provide for their immediate accommodation needs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source.

Rent supplements are subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant for rent supplement may incur. Setting maximum rent limits higher than are justified by the open market would have a distorting effect on the rental market, leading to a more general rise in rent levels and in landlord income. This in turn would worsen the affordability of rental accommodation unnecessarily, with particular negative impact for those tenants on lower incomes.

Notwithstanding these limits, under existing arrangements the Health Service Executive may, in certain circumstances, exceed the rent levels as an exceptional measure, for example:

—where there are special housing needs related to exceptional circumstances for example, disabled persons in specially-adapted accommodation or homeless persons,

—where the tenant will be in a position to re-assume responsibility for his/her rent within a short period.

This discretionary power is only used in special cases, but it ensures that individuals with particular needs can be accommodated within the scheme.

In November 2002, when the Central Statistics Office Privately Owned Rent Index first showed signs of continued reductions in rent levels, regulations were introduced to set the maximum amount of rent in respect of which a rent supplement is payable.

Despite recent increases in rent levels, the Central Statistics Office Privately Owned Rent Index shows that, in the period November 2002 to March 2006, rent levels fell by 3.1%. In this context it is fair to deduce that the introduction of rent limits by regulation has had a positive impact on the rental market in general and should not have led to a situation where tenants unofficially make up any shortfall in rents.

My Department is in regular contact with the community welfare staff of the Health Service Executive regarding the various elements of the scheme. In the course of these ongoing contacts, the prescribed upper limits on rent levels supported under the rent supplement scheme have not emerged as having a detrimental impact on the ability of eligible tenants generally to secure suitable rented accommodation to meet their needs.

My officials will again be reviewing the current levels of rent limits later this year in order in determine what limits should apply from January 2007 onwards. The review will take account of prevailing rent levels in the private rental sector generally, together with detailed input from the Health Service Executive on the market situation within each of its operational areas.

The review will also include consultation with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. In addition, it is expected a number of the voluntary agencies working in this area will also make detailed submissions. This process will ensure that the new rent limits reflect realistic market conditions throughout the country, and that they will continue to enable the different categories of eligible tenant households to secure and retain suitable rented accommodation to meet their respective needs.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 10: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps he is taking to increase the uptake of the respite care grant; the estimated numbers who are eligible but not availing of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17302/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The respite care grant was extended in 2005 to carers other than those in receipt of a carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance, constant attendance allowance and domiciliary care allowance. Carers who do not qualify for a grant under one of these schemes may now obtain a grant if they and the person for whom they are caring satisfy certain conditions.

All carers who are in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit, prescribed relative allowance or constant attendance allowance on the first Thursday in June will automatically receive the respite care grant without having to apply for it. Similarly, carers who are getting domiciliary care allowance from the Health Service Executive will automatically receive the respite care grant from the HSE.

A national publicity and information campaign on the scheme was carried out over the past year in order to target effectively those carers providing full-time care and attention and therefore most likely to qualify for the grant. This campaign covered:

—Advertising in the local and national press and on local radio.

—A freephone service operated by my Department.

—Information was distributed to all carers representative groups for use in their publications.

—A presentation was made to the Carers Association's managers network from around the country.

—Application forms, information leaflets and posters were distributed to Local Offices, Branch Offices and to Comhairle for distribution to the Citizen's Information Centres (CICs) network, and a presentation was made to the Department's information officers including those from CICs.

—In addition, from October 2005 to March 2006, information booklets on the respite care grant were on display in over 850 locations including a number of GPs surgeries, Public Health Centres and hospitals.

For this year, all customers who received a respite grant in 2005 are being contacted individually to inform them of their possible entitlement to the grant in 2006 and to verify that their circumstances have not changed since last year.

Following that, the Department will again advertise the scheme in the national and local press. The Department will also provide a Freephone service to outline scheme improvements to customers and to assist them with their applications. Supplies of information booklets and application forms will be available in my Department's local social welfare offices as well as on request from the respite care grant section in Dublin.

In addition, my Department will review, on a case-by-case basis, claims that failed to qualify last year because the carer was working for more than 10 hours per week. People in these circumstances may now qualify as I have extended the maximum number of hours to 15 hours per week from June.

Customers who apply for carer's allowance and who do not qualify for payment as their means exceed the statutory limit, will be contacted in relation to their potential entitlement to the respite care grant payment. They may qualify for that payment as it is not subject to a means test.

In addition to the 2006 scheme, applications will be accepted for the 2005 scheme up to 31 December 2006. A total of some 34,300 respite care grants have been paid by my Department in respect of 2005 and applications for the grant continue to be received. Total expenditure to date is over EUR34 million. I am satisfied that these arrangements will be successful in ensuring that as many eligible carers as possible are made aware of their entitlement to the respite care grant.