Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she has worked with the Private Residential Tenancies Board to inform landlords of the reduction of rent limits from January 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14435/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. Since 2005, rent supplement expenditure has increased from €369 million to a provisional out-turn of €503 million in 2011. The number of people claiming the allowance increased from almost 60,200 in 2005 to over 96,800 at the end of 2011, which was an increase of 61%. New maximum rent limits came into force on 1 January 2012. These new limits are in line with the most up-to-date market data available. The emphasis of the rent limit review was to ensure that maximum value for money for tenants and the taxpayer was achieved whilst at the same time ensuring that people on rent supplement are not priced out of the market for private rented accommodation. 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. As the Department has no direct relationship with landlords, it has not been in contact with the Private Residential Tenancies Board to inform landlords of the reduction to the maximum rent limits.