Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 783: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of households in the rental accommodation scheme; the cost of the project to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27651/06]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 809: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of people who have been housed to date in Waterford City and County under the rental accommodation scheme in the past five years to 2005. [27867/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 783 and 809 together.

Under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), local authorities are providing accommodation for certain recipients of SWA rent supplement who have been assessed as having a long-term housing need. The RAS is an additional housing option and eligible persons can indicate their preference to be accommodated by local authorities under the RAS or social housing, or to be considered under both.

Over 1,200 cases have been transferred to RAS since the initial transfers in September 2005. Of these cases some 160 cases have been transferred in Waterford City and County. A further 770 households which were recipients of Rent Supplement have been provided with local authority housing.

In addition, 6,000 prospective RAS households have had their cases reviewed. Work is ongoing on interviewing tenants, the inspection of properties and meeting and negotiating with accommodation providers. The aim is to have 5,000 cases transferred to the RAS by the end of the year. The total cost of the scheme to date is €2.48m of which €1,592,000 has been spent in the current year. Some €19 million has been provided to support the implementation of the scheme in 2006.

Implementation of the scheme will accelerate as local authorities procure new accommodation through the development of new public private partnership (PPP) arrangements and through partnering arrangements with the Voluntary and Cooperative Housing sector.