Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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636. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount spent on the rental accommodation scheme in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23754/18]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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637. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of recipients of the rental accommodation scheme in each of the years 2011 to 2017 and to date in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23755/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 and 637 together.

At the end of 2016 local authorities reported that there were 20,306 Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) tenancies in place, with total expenditure in 2016 for the scheme of just under €131 million. My Department is currently collating 2017 RAS data, which includes the number of tenancies in place at the end of 2017, received from local authorities. Expenditure on the scheme in 2017 was just under €143m. Exchequer funding of €134m has been allocated to RAS in 2018, which is expected to be expended in full. Data for the years 2011 to 2016 on the number and cost of tenancies funded under the RAS scheme, broken down by local authority, are available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.

RAS continues to be an effective and secure form of social housing support. As the House Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is rolled out nationally and replaces rent supplement completely, the number of households transferring to RAS will decrease. In order to reflect the expected decrease in households being housed through the RAS scheme in the coming 3 years, a national target of 600 new RAS transfers has been set for each of the next 3 years 2018-2020, totalling 1,800 new transfers. This is a reduction on the previous national RAS target of 2,000 for the period 2016/2017, which was achieved by Local Authorities. A combined total of 17,600 tenancies are targeted to be supported under HAP and RAS in 2018.