Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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415. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the introduction of the housing assistance payment which provides citizens with support in the early stages of their return to the workforce. [39799/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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In March 2012, the Government approved in principle the transfer of responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with an established housing need from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to local authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). On 18 July 2013, the Government approved the introduction of HAP. Approval was also given for the provision of funding to the local authorities to cover the costs of accommodating HAP claimants and administering the new Scheme.

My Department and the Department of Social Protection are continuing to work closely on the legal, policy and operational issues involved in the development and introduction of HAP. Work has also continued on developing the business processes required to allow for a general scheme of a Housing Bill (providing for HAP) to be prepared for Government consideration this year.

My Department is also working closely with County and City Managers in overseeing plans for the implementation of HAP, but more specifically at this stage in relation to the test phase which is planned for 2014 (subject to the enactment of the relevant legislation). A Project Implementation Team has also been established, which will be responsible for detailed planning and implementation during the testing and roll-out phases. A detailed business process design exercise for HAP involving input from all the relevant key stakeholders is currently being finalised and once complete the implementation team will, in conjunction with my Department, develop a plan for testing the scheme in a number of local authorities in 2014 leading to its full roll-out.