Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 368: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she has consulted with local community welfare officers in Dublin North East as part of the current rent assistance review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29502/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible tenants living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are approximately 93,800 persons in receipt of rent supplement, with €436m provided in 2012.

New maximum rent limits came into force on 1 January 2012 and are in place until June 2013. These new limits were set after an analysis of the most up-to-date market data available. Consultation with officers responsible for administering the scheme was undertaken as part of the review process, including officers from the Department's central rents unit which administers rent supplement for a significant portion of the Dublin region. Consultation with local officers in the Dublin North East area was not undertaken. 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.