Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 34: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the date on which she expects the rent supplement scheme to have been transferred from her Department to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government; the size of any additional moneys that will be allocated; and the implications for her plans to develop one stop shops. [20595/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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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. The framework statement specifically contains the announcement for the transfer of responsibility for 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 to remove barriers to employment, and at the same time, returning rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support. There are currently approximately 95,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement, with €436m provided for in 2012. 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 is 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.

A commencement date for the new arrangements of 1st January 2013 has been approved by Government, subject to further consideration of the matter by it. Such consideration will include a detailed economic assessment of the proposal, the possibility of centralised management and reporting arrangements, any required amendments to Housing and Social Welfare legislation and consistency with overall expenditure ceilings for 2013 and 2014 set out in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure Report. The consideration of an Exchequer neutral mechanism for funding and resourcing the proposed measure having regard to medium term expenditure targets will be examined. This transfer does not have any implication for the Department's plans to develop one stop shops for the delivery of its services.

As the Deputy will be aware, the new National Employment and Entitlements Service is being established which will integrate employment and benefit payment services within the Department and will be delivered from one stop shops. The first step in establishing the National Employment and Entitlements Service and one stop shops was integrating staff from FAS, the Community Welfare Service and the Department. The development of this new integrated service is a multi-annual programme of change within the Department and in how it provides its services.