Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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47. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will ensure that officers have due cognisance for the housing situation of persons on certain payments, who may be advised through Intreo to seek employment, which might be low wage employment but could put the person outside the qualification for rent support, which in today's inflated market would effectively render them homeless; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50547/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The objective of the activation process is to provide a professional employment service to help unemployed jobseekers secure and sustain suitable employment and by so doing achieve financial self-sufficiency. This function is carried out by appropriately trained case officers in my Department who provide a personalised supportive collaborative service tailored to meet the individual circumstances of the Jobseeker. During the course of the engagement between the case officer and the jobseeker, all possible pro-employment incentives are explored and explained to the jobseeker and the advantages and benefits of suitable employment take up are promoted as an integral part of the activation interaction.

In terms of rent supplement, the Deputy will be aware that the strategic policy direction of my Department is to return this scheme to its original purpose of being a short-term income support with the introduction of the HAP scheme. A significant difference between the HAP scheme and rent supplement is that HAP has been designed to allow households with a long term housing need to secure full-time employment and continue to remain in the scheme. Officials in my Department continue to support the transfer of cases from long term rent supplement to HAP.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.