Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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314. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm that no staff from her Department will be moving to local authorities either on a temporary or permanent basis to enable the coming on stream of the new housing assistance payment regime; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36128/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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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. 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 approximately 84,000 rent supplement recipients, of which over 53,000 are in payment for over 18 months. The Government has provided over €403 million for the scheme in 2013.

In 2012, the Government 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 the Department are working closely with colleagues in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to assist with the necessary work required to progress HAP.

There are no plans to transfer staff from this Department to housing authorities in order to administer HAP.