Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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47. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has carried out an analysis of the rental market rates; if she will review the cap on rent supplement payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9551/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are approximately 70,700 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015.

The Department has undertaken a review of the maximum rent limits, involving a comprehensive analysis of information from various sources including the Private Residential Tenancies Board, leading property websites and the Central Statistics Office. Raising rent limits may not be the solution to the problem as it is likely to add to further rental inflation and could impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers and students. I am keeping the matter under close review.

The Department has put measures in place to ensure that the accommodation needs of rent supplement customers at risk of homelessness are addressed by providing for increased flexibility within the administration of the rent supplement scheme. Notices were circulated to all Community Welfare Service staff reminding them of their discretionary power to award, on a case by case basis, a supplement for rental purposes in July and December 2014.

A National Framework has been developed to ensure that appropriate supports continue to be provided throughout the country in a consistent manner. The Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol, introduced in the Dublin region during 2014 has provided assistance to approximately 380 families to date and has been recently extended to facilitate non-family households. The Protocol was also extended to Cork city from 26 January 2015.

The Department continues to monitor the measures in place to ensure that the appropriate supports are provided for rent supplement recipients.