Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if rent allowances in the commuter towns of north Kildare are adjusted to take account of the higher rents in the Dublin area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30688/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of rent supplement 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.

Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Rent limits are set at levels that enable eligible households to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having regard to the different rental market conditions that prevail in various parts of the country. It is essential to ensure that state support for rent supplement tenants, who form a substantial section of the rental market, does not give rise to inflated rental prices with particular negative impact on those tenants on lower incomes, including people in low paid employment.

Staff administering rent supplement have the authority to set levels lower than those provided for in the regulations, in respect of sub-divisions of their functional areas, where this is appropriate. This power is provided to reflect the fact that lower rent levels may apply in certain locations within counties. Under normal circumstances rent supplement is not paid where the rent charged for the accommodation is above the relevant maximum rent limit.

The most recent rent limit review established new maximum rent limits from June 2010. The rent limits introduced in Co. Kildare were in line with the most up-to-date market data available and I am satisfied that the rent limits are sufficient to enable eligible households to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation in Co. Kildare.

Nonetheless the current rent limits are in place until December 2011 and will be reviewed later this year. The review will be based on analysis of data on private rental prices supplied by the Central Statistics Office, the Private Residential Tenancies Board and publicly available data.