Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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75. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to re-evaluate the rent allowance limits in view of the current rental market; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that rents in an area (details supplied) are 4.4% higher in the third quarter of 2013 than they were the previous year, according to a daft.ie rental report; if she will re-examine rental limits in the county on that basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53174/13]

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 currently approximately 80,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement for which the Government has provided over €403 million in 2013.

Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme came into effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December 2014. The new rent limits have been determined following an extensive review of the private rental market based on the most up-to-date data available. The rent limits review was completed during the second quarter of this year and used a number of data sources including that of the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) which contained details of actual registered rental tenancies. As outlined by the Deputy, the Daft.ie Q3 2013 rental report records a year on year increase of 4.4% in rents in County Wicklow. There is no detailed breakdown of this figure by area within the county or by property type.

There are currently over 2,400 rent supplement recipients in County Wicklow. Analysis shows that there are properties available within the maximum rent limits for rent supplement recipients in County Wicklow. It must be stressed that the purpose of the rent limit review was to ensure availability of accommodation for rent supplement tenancies and not to provide rent supplement tenants with access to all housing in all areas. The Department will continue to monitor rent levels throughout the country but at this point has no plans to revise any of the existing rent limits at this time.

Reliance on rent supplement for those persons with long term housing needs is being addressed with the Department's strategic policy direction to return rent supplement to its original purpose, that of a short term income support. In July 2013 the Government approved the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to housing authorities. Officials in the Department are working with those in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, who are leading the project, in developing the necessary legal, policy and operational requirements to give effect to this transfer.