Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to review the rent limits under the rent supplement scheme in County Donegal so that they reflect the current market rate for rents in the county at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46091/14]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources. There are approximately 71,800 rent supplement recipients, of which approximately 1,800 are in Donegal. The Government has provided a total of over €344 million for the scheme 2014.

The Department is finalising a review of the maximum rent limits under the rent supplement scheme. I am concerned that the impact of increasing limits at a time of constrained supply will yield only a very marginal increase in available supply for rent supplement recipients, with the only certainty that raising limits will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to new recipients. Raising rent limits may not be the solution to the problem as it is likely to add to further rental inflation and impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers, their families and students. I plan to keep this matter under close review.

Analysis also shows that there are some properties available in County Donegal within the maximum rent limits. However, I can assure the Deputy that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have considerable experience and make every effort to ensure that accommodation needs are met including through the use of their discretionary statutory powers on a case by case basis, as necessary. A notice reminding staff of their statutory discretionary power to award a supplement for rental purposes in exceptional cases, for example, when dealing with applicants who are at risk of losing their tenancy was circulated in July 2014, including to staff operating in the Donegal area.