Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if any support has been put in place to assist those who have signed up to new rental agreements, who have now been advised of the reductions in the maximum cap on the rent permitted, leading to these persons having to move, and who will now lose the deposits previously awarded through the Health Service Executive Community Welfare Officers leaving them without a deposit for alternative lower priced rented accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25753/12]

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. There are currently approximately 95,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement, with €436m provided in 2012.

New maximum rent limits came into force on 1 January 2012. Most claims are reviewed every six months, or when an existing lease expires. Where a claim is under review and the rent is above the new maximum limit the customer is being asked to contact the landlord to renegotiate the rent. Where a landlord does not agree to reduce the rent to the new rates departmental officials will discuss the options open to the tenant up to and including seeking alternative accommodation. Departmental officials will support the tenant as s/he seeks alternate accommodation. An exceptional needs payment (ENP) may be issued for a rent deposit in cases where the applicant has to seek alternate accommodation and is unable to fund a deposit out of their own resources. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment and each application is based on the particular circumstances of the case and at the discretion of the officer administering the SWA scheme.