Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 529: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will account for the problems that local authorities have in meeting demands for accommodation under the rental accommodation scheme; the reason for delays or suspension of the scheme in some areas so that no new applications will be accepted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10431/08]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 531: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of money allocated to local authorities to administer the rental accommodation scheme for 2008; the amount spent each year since the scheme was announced; and if a Supplementary Estimate is required to ensure its effective running in 2008. [10433/08]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 532: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of people housed using the rental accommodation scheme by local authorities each year since the scheme began; and the waiting list for allocation of accommodation under the scheme in each of the local authority areas. [10434/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 529, 531 and 532 together.

The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) operates in all housing authorities. In some cases the County Council is managing the scheme for the county at large. All housing authorities have transferred cases from Rent Supplement to RAS and since the commencement of transfers in September 2005 the pace of delivery has steadily increased. Last year over 6,000 households were transferred — 1,000 more than the target set for the year.

To date over 11,400 households with long-term housing need have been accommodated in either voluntary, private rental properties or other social housing options. Details of the number of households progressed by local authorities in each of the years 2005-08 are set out in Table 1 below. The aim is that a total of at least 15,000 cases will have been accommodated through the scheme by the end of 2008. In addition, there is a commitment in Towards 2016 to provide over 1,000 new units from the private sector on long-term lease contracts over the period 2007-09.

When the scheme was originally set up the expectation was that the majority of households would move to RAS in their existing accommodation. This has proved more difficult to achieve than expected with some landlords declining to be part of the scheme, high rent levels in certain urban areas constraining options, and some of the accommodation not meeting the requirements of the housing authority. There are also a number of cases where individual rent supplement households, for a variety of reasons, did not wish to transfer to RAS.

The experience to date suggests that the response to meeting the needs of households on rent supplement with a long term housing need in some areas will be mainly through the existing local authority and voluntary/co-operative housing programmes. In other areas RAS will play a substantial role in meeting housing need. Over the longer-term the use of leased accommodation will become an integral part of the approach of local authorities to meeting social housing need. Ultimately this is a matter for local authorities to decide taking into account demographic factors, the available supply of different types of social housing, the level of long-term housing need in the area, market conditions and the individual aspirations of households.

€51 million is being provided to local authorities for RAS for the current year. This compares with expenditure of €0.723m in 2005; €6.2m in 2006 and €27.384m in 2007. At this stage, expenditure is in line with profiles and is sufficient to meet ongoing commitments and costs associated with 5,000 new transfers.

RAS is at the mid-point in its initial implementation period and my Department is currently carrying out a Value for Money and Policy Review for the scheme which is due for completion in April 2008. Key stakeholders including local authorities, the community welfare service and participants of the scheme (landlords and tenants) are being consulted as part of the review. The specific aim of the review is to evaluate the operation of RAS in the light of the objectives set for it including any issues or problems encountered by local authorities in operating the scheme. The review will help refine the terms of the scheme and make recommendations, as required, for changes in its implementation. In a separate exercise, the Department of Social and Family Affairs is reviewing the current rent supplement limits with a view to implementing any revisions found necessary from 1 July 2008. My Department and local authorities are being consulted as part of the review.

It is a matter for individual housing authorities to consider how best to implement RAS and my Department provides whatever assistance it can to authorities to aid them in progressing the scheme. I am aware that considerable effort continues to be made by authorities to maximise transfers and reach targets. Authorities continue to accept new applicants and where an applicant's case is deemed to be urgent or exceptional this is given priority.

Table 1: Total number of cases progressed from SWA Rent Supplement by local authorities through the Rental Accommodation Scheme 2005-2008. First transfers commenced in September 2005.