Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the government agreement to transfer responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to persons with a long-term housing need from her Department currently provided through rent supplement to housing authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment from 1 January 2013 including an outline of this new Home Assistance Payment; how it will function; and how it will differ from rent supplement [33919/12]

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 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 92,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement for which the Government has provided a sum of €436 million for 2012.

I welcome the Government decision to transfer responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to persons with a long term housing need from my Department, currently provided through rent supplement, to housing authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). This will achieve a key Government commitment of removing barriers to employment and at the same time returning rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support.

A commencement date for the new arrangements of 1st January 2013 has been approved subject to further consideration of the matter by Government. Policy in relation to the HAP scheme is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.

A multi-agency steering group has been established to develop proposals to give effect to this transfer. The group is chaired by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and consists of representatives from the Departments of Social Protection; Public Expenditure and Reform; Office of the Revenue Commissioners; the County and City Managers Association, and the Housing Agency.