Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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370. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will reconsider the implementation of an increase in rent supplement payments to alleviate the accommodation crisis for families enduring a housing crisis in north Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30943/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. There are approximately 76,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.

A new review of the maximum rent limits has commenced within the Department and will feed into the budgetary process. This review involves a comprehensive analysis of information from a range of external sources in addition to seeking the views from a number of stakeholders including staff, relevant Departments and Agencies and non-Government organisations such as Threshold, Focus Ireland and the Society of St Vincent de Paul.

Despite pressures on the social protection budget, there were increases in the rent limits in some areas following the 2013 review of maximum rent limits. New increased maximum rent limits were established for North Kildare, reflecting the higher rental values for this particular area.

All prospective tenants, including those seeking to access rent supplement, particularly in urban areas, are finding it increasingly difficult to secure appropriate accommodation due to the reduced availability of rental properties. The number of rental properties available in North Kildare is somewhat lower than the numbers available in the rest of the county.

I can assure the Deputy that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have considerable experience in dealing with customers and make every effort to ensure that their accommodation needs are met. A notice reminding all staff of their statutory discretionary power to award a supplement for rental purposes in exceptional cases, for example, when dealing with applicants who at risk of losing their tenancy, has recently been circulated.