Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

716. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the amount he has spent on rent supplement to date in 2016; the number of households assisted and the average monthly rent supplement paid per household by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25157/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Supports in relation to housing and the provision of financial supports, including the rent supplement scheme, which is currently supporting some 51,800 recipients at a cost of €267 million in 2016, are a key priority for Government. Expenditure on the scheme for the period from January to July 2016 is some €164.5 million.

The national monthly average expenditure for rent supplement recipients for the eight months ending August 2016 is approximately €415 per recipient, or €4,980 per annum per recipient. Average costs on a county basis are not maintained; however, for the eight-month period ending August 2016, Dublin’s approximate monthly recipient cost is in the region of €570 per recipient, and for the rest of the country the monthly cost is approximately €320 per recipient.

A breakdown of rent supplement recipients on a county basis for August 2016 is provided in the table.

Rent Supplement Recipients by County, 31 August, 2016.