Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

824. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of households availing of support under the RAS scheme in each year since its establishment and to date in 2017. [32615/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) has been an important contributor to social housing supply since its introduction on a pilot basis in 2005. From its commencement in late 2005 to 31 May 2017, some 33,992 households have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS.

My Department does not hold information on the current number of households in RAS at any given time. Numbers in RAS constantly vary as contracts end, tenants move on to other properties, landlords withdraw from the scheme, new tenancies are allocated or vacancies in contracted units are filled. Data relating to the number of households availing of support under RAS from 2011 to 2015 can be found on my Department's website at the following link: .

My Department is currently updating and reviewing the RAS data collection and management process. In that context, data relating to 2016 is currently in the process of being gathered from local authorities and will be published on my Department’s website when available. The provisional data indicates that some 1,250 households were supported under RAS in 2016.