Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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78. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a person who is eligible to receive rent supplement will obtain same in respect of accommodation which that person can rent from a sibling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10991/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The rent supplement scheme provides support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are approximately 70,200 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015.

Under the legislation governing entitlement to rent supplement, the Department must establish that the applicant is a bona fide tenant. There is no specific restriction on landlords renting to family members provided all of the qualifying criteria for the scheme have been met. In determining whether the applicant is a bona fide tenant the Department will generally require documentary evidence including:

- Details of the lease agreement,

- Proof of ownership of the property,

- Documentation that the tenancy has been registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board,

- Documentation detailing payments made to the landlord.

If the Deputy is referring to a particular case they should refer them to the community welfare service for advice on this matter.