Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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76. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons or families that were in receipt of rent allowance that have moved to a HAP tenancy in 2017; the number in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17948/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting some 44,800 recipients for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017.

The strategic policy direction of my Department is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of being a short-term income support scheme. Under HAP, responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to those with a long-term housing need has transferred to local authorities, under the auspices of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Since 1 March 2017 HAP is available in all local authority areas.

Under the accelerated targets outlined in the Action plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland the HAP target for 2016 was 12,000 and is 15,000 for 2017, with the aim to complete the transfers from rent supplement by 2020.

In general, persons who are in receipt of rent supplement for over 18 months are being requested to contact their local authority to have their housing needs assessed beginning the transfer process to HAP. There are currently some 20,000 active HAP tenancy arrangements in place, with 6,500 of these direct transfers from rent supplement. As of 31 December 2016, there were approximately 16,500 active HAP tenancies, of which 5,670 were direct transfers from rent supplement.

Officials in my Department continue to work closely with the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and local authorities to facilitate the ongoing transfer of cases from rent supplement.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.