Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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427. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when rent supplement will be replaced by the announced housing assistance payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26945/13]

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. There are approximately 86,000 recipients of rent supplement of which approximately 54,000 have been in receipt of the supplement for over eighteen months. The Government has provided over €403 million for the scheme in 2013.

The Government has approved in principle to transfer responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to persons with a long term housing need from this Department to housing authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Officials in this Department are working closely with those in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to assist with the necessary work required to initiate HAP.

The necessary legislative requirements to facilitate HAP are a matter for the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. It is expected that pilot testing of HAP will commence once the necessary legislation is in place.