Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the improvements he will make to rent supplement to taper withdrawal of the payment as recipients enter employment. [32190/07]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will provide a progress report on the welfare reforms proposed in the Programme for Government for the rent supplement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32276/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the eligibility guidelines for rent support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32313/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 88, 94 and 111 together.

The programme for Government includes commitments to reduce long-term reliance on rent supplement. This will be done mainly by keeping the standard means test for rent supplement under review to provide enhanced financial incentives for people taking up employment or other professional options and by providing long-term housing solutions under the rental accommodation scheme and otherwise.

Improvements in the means test were implemented in June. Where a person has additional income in excess of the standard weekly rate of supplementary welfare allowance, the first €75 of such additional income together with 25% of any additional income above €75 is disregarded for means assessment purposes. This ensures that those returning to work or participating in training schemes are better off as a result of taking up such an opportunity.

In addition, rent supplement may continue to be paid to a person who engages in full time employment, subject to their satisfying the improved means testing arrangements, as outlined above, and where they have been accepted as having a long term housing need under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).

I intend to keep the rent supplement scheme under review and my Department will be working closely with the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government in ensuring that RAS meets its objective of catering for those on long term rent supplementation while enabling rent supplement to return to its original role of a short-term income support.