Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 317: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the plans he has for continuing the use of the rental accommodation scheme as a long-term option to house people who should be in social housing. [31269/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I am satisfied at this early stage that the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is meeting the objectives set for it by Government in July 2004. RAS has progressed from piloting to full local authority mobilisation. RAS is being constantly monitored and its use should be continued as part of the range of local authority responses to meeting long-term housing needs.

RAS uses a range of measures to provide good quality, secure accommodation and is particularly suited to dealing with the needs of single person households, the elderly and the long term homeless. It has also provided a solution to the problems of poverty traps in the rent supplement scheme. To date over 11,000 rent supplement cases have been reviewed, 1,600 properties inspected and some 1,700 cases transferred to RAS. An additional 1,200 rent supplement households have also been allocated local authority housing.

Under RAS, eligible persons can indicate their preference to be accommodated by local authorities in social housing, continue to remain in their current private accommodation or apply for alternative private accommodation. Accommodation may also be provided by voluntary and co-operative housing bodies. RAS has taken on a pivotal role in proving local authorities with solutions to a range of accommodation demands. This has been recognised in Towards 2016. Voluntary and co-operative housing bodies, tenant representative bodies and organisations supporting the homeless are fully supportive of the scheme and bodies with the voluntary sector are active in providing accommodation.

RAS provides fresh options for local authorities to improve and accelerate the provision of social housing support. In the short term we are committed to providing an additional 1,000 new units from the private sector on long term contracts over the period 2007-2009. Over the long term RAS will become an important part of the armoury of local authorities in addressing the issue of housing need.