Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 366: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the current cost of rent supplement to the State; and if she will provide a breakdown by local authority [36176/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support, to eligible people 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.

Statistics are not available of the cost of rent supplement on a local authority basis.