Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the limits or rent ceilings for persons who are accommodation sharing in the Westmeath region; when the limits were set; and her views on whether these rent limits or ceilings reflect the current market rate in the Westmeath region. [3085/14]

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 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.

Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme have been implemented with effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December 2014. The new rent limits were determined following an extensive review of the private rental market based on the most up-to-date data available. The emphasis of the rent limit review is to ensure that maximum value for money for tenants and the taxpayer is achieved whilst at the same time ensuring that people on rent supplement are not priced out of the market for private rented accommodation. It is also essential that State support for rents do not distort the market in way that could increase rent prices for others including low paid workers and students.

In Westmeath, the monthly shared rate for a single person is €190 and the couple shared rate is €210.

Analysis shows that there are properties available in county Westmeath within the maximum rent limits for rent supplement recipients. Latest figures show that there are approximately 1,600 rent supplement recipients in Westmeath, with approximately 100 of these in shared accommodation indicating that it is possible to secure accommodation within the rent limits.

Officials in the Department will continue to monitor the impact of the revised rates ensuring that the accommodation needs of rent supplement recipients are met.