Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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387. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the serious problems in the rental accommodation scheme in the Dublin City Council area, with 50 tenants facing eviction due to landlords selling or looking for vacant possession of the houses/apartments let to Dublin City Council under the rental accommodation scheme and the fact that the council cannot source replacement properties for those tenants and that the tenants in some cases are in houses/apartments beyond the vacate date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19747/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department understands that Dublin City Council currently has a number of landlords who have advised them that they will not be renewing their RAS contracts. Various reasons have been cited by landlords including their selling the property, financial difficulties they have encountered, that they themselves are seeking to move back to the property, or they need to accommodate other family members. The reasons given, while understandable, are presenting significant difficulties for both the sitting tenant and the housing authority.

Dublin City Council has assured my Department of its continued work with both the landlords and the tenants in these cases in an effort to source alternative accommodation as quickly as possible. The Council in seeking replacement accommodation attempts to source a suitable alternative within or close to the area in which the tenant is residing. However the Council reports that progress is slow due to the scarcity of suitable properties available to let in the areas affected, but daily contact is made with local auctioneers in the relevant areas and with the various letting sites – DAFT, My Home and Rent .ie.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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388. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Dublin City Council's rental accommodation scheme will have a shortfall of more than €1.5 million thus potentially adding to the crisis being caused by landlords exiting the scheme. [19748/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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There is no shortfall in the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) funding for 2013 to Dublin City Council or indeed to any other housing authority.

Funding for the scheme 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. The amount allocated for 2013 is €150 million, up €15 million from 2012. Dublin City Council has confirmed to my Department that it is continuing to source suitable properties to include in the RAS scheme at the same pace as in 2012.