Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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25. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will address the urgent need to develop a strategy that will provide single persons and couples who face inadequate rent supplement and HAP limits with accessible and affordable social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29942/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government has committed €1.2 billion in funding for housing to my Department under Budget 2017, to allow for continued implementation of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, under which 47,000 new social homes will be delivered by 2021.  Future targets and funding will be allocated to all local authorities beyond 2017 based on the results of the Summary of Social Housing Assessments 2016 which are expected to be available later this year. The summary is now well advanced and will provide updated data on the level of social housing need across all local authorities, broken down in to a wide range of categories including household composition.  Using this data will ensure that new social housing targets are set and funding provided in line with housing need in each local authority area.

Some 13,800 households are currently being supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme across the 19 local authority areas where the scheme is operational, including eligible homeless households under the HAP Pilot scheme managed by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) for all four local authorities in the Dublin region. Some 9,500 separate landlords and agents are providing accommodation to those households supported by HAP.

The Programme for a Partnership Governmentcommitted to extending the capacity of local authorities to make discretionary payments, while providing a framework for the review of both Rent Supplement and Ho using Assistance Payment (HAP)  rent limits taking account of geographic variations in market rents. The Government delivered on this commitment with the introduction of revised HAP and Rent Supplement rent limits with effect from 1 July 2016. Furthermore, additional flexibility above the existing HAP rent limits was made available to all HAP local authorities from the same date. Local authorities have been advised by my Department to utilise the 20% discretion where required to meet the needs of any household types, including single or couples without children, to access accommodation in the local rental market. Since the introduction of the increased HAP rent limits in July 2016, more than 2,500 pre-existing HAP households have received an increase in their level of support.

At Quarter 2 of this year, 38% of the households who are having their housing need met by HAP were made up of single persons or couples without children. Furthermore, as indicated above, the HAP scheme permits sharing arrangements, subject to a local authority’s agreement, which provides eligible single person and couple households with greater access to sourcing affordable housing.

My Department continues to keep the operation of the scheme, including the effectiveness of rent limits for each household type, under review. In general, I am very satisfied with how the HAP scheme is operating and I consider it to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme under Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness.