Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 595: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the annual amounts paid out to private landlords and local authorities in the form of RAS and RAS type arrangements; the number of such payments or arrangements; and the average amount of these payments on an annual and monthly basis. [24245/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Under the legislative provisions governing rent supplement, the Department's relationship is with the tenant; the tenant makes the application for rent supplement and payment is made to the tenant. Rent supplement is specifically for the benefit of tenants to assist them with their temporary accommodation needs.

Legislation provides for the making of a rent supplement payment to another person (e.g. a relative, a landlord or landlord's agent) on behalf of the recipient. This is at the tenant's request and is subject to the consent of the Community Welfare Service. Approximately 20% of rent supplement payments are currently paid to a person other than the tenant.

Rent supplement expenditure in 2010 was in the sum of €516 million. The table gives a breakdown of rent supplement by recipients, expenditure and average payments for 2011. Rent Supplement by Recipients, Expenditure and Average Payment by month, 2011

(1) At end of month

(2) During month

(3) Average figures based on extracts of relevant rent payment files, May 2011 estimated.