Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will guarantee that there will be no cuts to rent supplement or increases to rental contribution required of tenants in the next budget; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33249/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of rent supplement 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. The overall 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 currently approximately 84,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013. The Government will consider the appropriate level of expenditure on rent supplement and any changes to the scheme in the context of the Budget process.