Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 332: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons claiming rent supplement more than 18 months; her views on the speed of transfer of persons from rent supplement onto the rental accommodation scheme; the steps she has taken to speed up this transfer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9236/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme primary purpose is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer.

There are currently almost 93,200 tenants benefiting from a rent supplement payment - an increase of 55% since the end of 2005. Over half of these recipients have been in payment for more than one year, while over 33,000 have been in payment for 18 months or more.

The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which was introduced in 2004, gives local authorities specific responsibility for meeting the longer term housing needs of people receiving rent supplement for 18 months or more. Details of these cases are notified regularly by the Department to the local authorities. Local authorities meet the housing needs of these individuals through a range of approaches including the traditional range of social housing options, the voluntary housing sector and, in particular, RAS.

Latest figures from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG) indicate that to date, local authorities have transferred over 13,400 rent supplement cases to RAS units. Housing authorities have also transferred a further 11,413 recipients to other social housing options; a total of over 24,800 transfers from rent supplement has occurred since 2005. It is accepted that progress in relation to RAS was initially slower than expected. However the pace of delivery has improved significantly, in total, 14,000 recipients were transferred in 2008 and 2009; achieving targets set for RAS transfers for these years. The target established for 2010 is 8,000.

In addition to this official target, due to the numbers of unsold affordable stock around the country, an opportunity has been created to make use of some of these properties for RAS and it is expected that additional transfers may be possible in 2010. The position regarding the availability of property is monitored on an ongoing basis, given the current market condition, and there may be an opportunity to achieve further transfers.

The Department continues to work 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. The Department provides regular reports to Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government highlighting rent supplement recipients in the 18 plus month target group. Regular meetings are conducted with the RAS program managers of the various local authorities, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and my Department. Again, the purpose of these meetings from my Department's perspective is to support in every possible way the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government's objective of ensuring RAS's success in transferring long term rent supplement recipients to a more sustainable housing model.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 334: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) is only receiving €163 a week social welfare allowance. [8642/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 335: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) is receiving €163 a week social welfare allowance. [8643/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.