Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of families or persons on the rental accommodation scheme in each local authority area for each year since the scheme was first introduced; the cost of the scheme to each local authority; the total cost of operating the scheme each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47858/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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By end of September 2012 local authorities had transferred a total of 41,623 households to the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) from Rent Supplement since the former commenced in late 2005. Of these 24,472 were housed directly under RAS with 17,196 accommodated under other social housing options.

The following table sets out the transfer position annually by authority:

RAS Admin Fees 2005 - Sept. 2012

Funding for the RAS is provided by a transfer of monies from the Department of Social Protection's Vote to the Vote of my Department. Monies are provided on an Exchequer neutral basis to meet the costs of persons transferring from the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Rent Supplement Scheme to the RAS. Since its inception total expenditure on RAS to the end of September 2012 was some €480.43 million. The following table sets out details of annual expenditure on the scheme:

RAS Spend

The €135m budget provided for RAS in 2012 is intended to support the costs of all existing rent supplement households transferred to the scheme prior to 2012 and to fund the costs of rents of additional new transfers to the scheme (new supply) during the year.

The on-going costs of administering the scheme including staff and office accommodation costs, legal fees, advertising costs and general expenses are met out of savings under the scheme together with a direct payment from the Exchequer in the form of an administrative fee for each household managed under RAS. In addition a once-off administration fee is available to authorities who have assessed a Rent Supplement case for RAS but have subsequently accommodated the household in local authority social housing.