Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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76. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the progress of the rent supplement initiative with Threshold; and the number of households that have availed of this to date. [30934/14]

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. 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. In view of these difficulties, the Department has agreed a protocol with the Dublin local authorities and voluntary organisations so that families on rent supplement who are at risk of losing their accommodation can have more timely and appropriate interventions made on their behalf. To date, some 20 cases have been referred to the Department under this protocol, of which 7 cases have been finalised. The remaining cases are being processed in line with the terms of the protocol.

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.