John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider compiling a list of landlords who are willing to take part in the rental accommodation scheme in each council area; if he will consider starting a campaign to publicise RAS and encourage landlords to take part and join such a list; and if he will provide details of participation in the scheme in each local authority area to date. [6448/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is a collaborative project between my Department, local authorities and the Department of Social Protection, including its community welfare service.

Under the scheme local authorities assume primary responsibility for meeting the accommodation needs of Rent Supplement (RS) recipients with a long-term housing need. The local authority administers the scheme in its entirety from the transfer of RS recipients, including the sourcing of suitable accommodation and the accommodation of eligible households together with the payment of rent to landlords. As part of their overall role in sourcing accommodation, local authorities engage in regular advertising of the scheme aimed at landlords. They also produce, along with my Department and the Housing Agency, detailed explanatory leaflets, including website information, on the scheme and the conditions/requirements on landlords who are entering or wish to enter the scheme.

Local authorities are best placed to administer RAS and I do not propose to compile a national list of landlords willing to take part in the scheme.

Since the Rental Accommodation Scheme commenced in late 2005 local authorities have transferred a total of 37,759 households from RS up to the end of December 2011. Of these 21,892 were housed directly under RAS and a further 15,867 were accommodated under other social housing options. The following table sets out a county by county breakdown of the number of transfers from RS.