Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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321. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide data on the savings made by her Department in 2011 and 2012 by the reductions in maximum rent levels in Kildare North, and other counties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36325/13]

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. There are approximately 84,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for the scheme in 2013.

The overall savings for 2011 and 2012 as a result of changes in the maximum rent limits under the scheme was some €24 million and €20 million respectively. Statistics are not maintained on a county basis.

The Department has recently completed a further review of the maximum rent limits with new limits in place effective from mid-June 2013.