Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 250: To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the proposed transfer of all housing related matters, including the management and payment of rent allowances or supplements from the Health Service Executive to local authorities. [36152/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are two main initiatives currently being pursued by the Department to transfer long term rent supplement recipients into housing solutions supported by local authorities. The two initiatives are the Rental Accommodation Scheme and the new Housing Policy Initiative launched in June of this year.

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. 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, the RAS. Since 2004, over 36,500 households have transferred from rent supplement to a local authority provided housing solution.

On 16th June 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Housing & Planning published a new housing policy framework statement. This framework statement reflects the content of the Programme for Government and sets out the principles to underpin the development of housing policy into the medium term. Specifically, it contains the announcement for the transfer of responsibility in providing housing needs for long term rent supplement recipients to housing authorities on a phased basis. The focus of this approach is to achieve a key Government commitment of removing barriers to employment and at the same time returning rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support.

A multi-agency steering group has been established by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to give effect to this initiative and this group are currently developing proposals and operational protocols for the transfer of responsibility from the Department of Social Protection to housing authorities of persons who have long term housing requirements.