Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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311. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the cost per annum of all private sector rental schemes since 1991, including but not limited to, the rent allowance scheme, in tabular form. [31606/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The rent supplement scheme is currently supporting some 50,700 recipients for which the Government has provided €267 million for in 2016.

The on-going improvement in the economy, as persons exit the scheme through activation, and transfers to social housing, has led to reductions in scheme numbers and expenditure on rent supplement which peaked in 2010. Since 2014, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme has commenced supporting persons with long term housing needs through the local authorities rather than under rent supplement. The provision for rent supplement for 2014 and 2015 reflects a transfer of funding of some €20 million and €24 million respectively to support HAP.

Assistance is also provided by my Department via the rent allowance scheme which is payable, subject to a means test, to eligible persons entitled to retain possession as the tenant of a dwelling where the rent was controlled before 26 July 1982. There are currently some 80 persons receiving this allowance.

Expenditure figures for the both rent supplement and the rent allowance scheme from 1999 to date are provided in the attached tabular statement; expenditure data for the years 1991 to 1998 is not maintained.

Tabular Statement

Table 1 - Rent Supplement: Expenditure: 1999 to Present

Table 2- Rent Allowance: Expenditure: 1999 to present