Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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46. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the ever-increasing number of landlords who are refusing to accept rent allowance, and the extremely low level of the rent caps in view of rising rents; the reasons these issues are contributing significantly to the rising levels of homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33041/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 65,000 people at a cost of over €298 million in 2015.

A total of over 13,700 rent supplement tenancies have been awarded since the start of the year, of which almost 4,300 are in Dublin, showing that landlords are in fact accommodating significant numbers of people under the scheme. The Department is also engaging with the Department of Justice and Equality regarding draft legislation on the issue of landlords refusing rent supplement tenancies.

A review of the rent limits undertaken earlier this year found that the impact of increasing limits at a time of constrained supply will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to recipients. Rather than increasing limits at this time rent supplement policy will continue to allow for flexibility. This flexible approach has already assisted approximately 4,000 households throughout the country to retain their rented accommodation. In addition, the Department, in conjunction with Threshold, operates a special Protocol in the Dublin and Cork areas where supply issues are particularly acute, with plans to extend to Galway City.

The Department, including through its Homeless Persons Unit in Dublin, works closely with local authorities, Homeless Action Teams (HATs), agencies and the voluntary sector in assisting homeless persons to access private rented accommodation. This ensures that, where possible, people are diverted away from homeless services and towards community-based supports.

I am keeping the matter under close review.