Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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148. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for rent allowance refused or reduced in each of the past two years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19395/13]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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149. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total number of persons in receipt of mortgage interest supplement in each of the past two years to date; the number who have had reductions in this payment in the period in question for whatever reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19396/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 149 together.

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term 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. There are currently approximately 86,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013. There are approximately 13,000 mortgage interest supplement recipients for which the Government has provided some €42 million for 2013. Statistics are not available on the number of applications for rent or mortgage interest supplement refused or reduced in each of the past two years to date.

Following Budget 2012 all recipients of rent supplement and mortgage interest supplement experienced a reduction in their payment following the increase of the minimum contribution paid by recipients towards their accommodation costs, which came into effect from January 2012. The minimum contribution increased from €24 to €30 for a single adult household and to €35 for a couple.

The following tabular statement shows the number of rent supplement and mortgage interest supplement recipients at end 2011 and 2012 and to end March 2013.

Number of rent supplement and mortgage interest supplement recipients