Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

427. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the average rents paid by local authorities on behalf of tenants of housing associations, as compared to the average rents paid by local authorities to for-profit private landlords, that is, through schemes such as the housing assistance payment and rental accommodation scheme. [47066/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) provides support, through the local authorities, towards the approved costs of housing bodies in providing accommodation for persons with specific categories of housing need. The provision of CAS properties is funded through the capital funding programme and local authorities do not make a rental payment to the approved housing body in respect of these properties. Under the scheme, approved housing bodies are responsible for amongst other things, the proper management of their dwellings, the operation of letting policies and fixing of rents. It is a condition of advancing a loan under the scheme that housing authorities have a clear right of consultation in relation to the fixing of rents generally and housing bodies have a responsibility to fix rents at levels which are reasonable having regard to tenants’ incomes and the outlay of the approved housing body on the accommodation including the ongoing costs of management. Full details of the scheme are available on my Department’s website at the following link:



My Department does not hold data on the amount directly paid by authorities to landlords in respect of individual lettings under the Rental Accommodation Scheme. However, based on data provided by local authorities, the average monthly rent paid under the scheme in 2013 broken down by different types of units was as follows: