Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 406: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the amount spent on the rent allowance scheme in 2007; the projected cost for 2008; and the potential savings in rent allowance if 12,000 recipients of the scheme were removed from the private renting sector and placed in social housing. [31251/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Expenditure on rent supplement to end October 2007 was €324 million. It is estimated that a further €68 million will be spent on the scheme by end 2007, bringing total expenditure for this year to €392 million. The Pre-Budget Outlook published on 18th October provides €775.5 million for supplementary welfare allowance in 2008, just under €414 million of which is for rent supplement. The final allocation for rent supplement in 2008 will be published in the revised estimates volume early in the new year.

Assuming no change to the average rent or number of recipients, a once-off transfer of 12,000 claims from the rent supplement scheme would result in a reduction in expenditure of €80 million per annum.