Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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30. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reasons she has ruled out the raising of the caps on rent assistance when they are well below the market rents for houses and contributing to the ongoing housing crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47094/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently approximately 71,800 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.

I am keeping the matter regarding rent limits under consideration and the review being undertaken by the Department will be finalised shortly.

The Department is in a position of both significant influence in the private rented market and responsibility. There is a concern that increased rent limits may add to further rental inflation and impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers, their families and students. Increasing limits 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.

The Department has put measures in place to ensure that the housing needs of rent supplement customers who are in danger of becoming homeless are being addressed by providing for increased flexibility in the administration of the rent supplement scheme. A notice reminding staff, including those operating in the Donegal area, of their statutory discretionary power to award on a case by case basis a supplement for rental purposes, for example, when dealing with applicants who are at risk of losing their tenancy was circulated earlier in the year and further instruction has issued this week to ensure consistency throughout the country.

I strongly advise that where a person in receipt of rent supplement is at risk of losing their tenancy they should make contact with the Tenancy Protection Service provided by Threshold on 1800 454 454 or their local Community Welfare Service throughout the country.