Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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136. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the individual, annual and weekly HAP targets set by his Department for Galway city and county councils for each of the past two years; the percentage of new HAP tenancies created in Galway city and county in 2018 that have been designated as transfers from rent supplement pursuant to a direction from his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46905/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all social housing eligible households throughout the State. At the end of Q2 2018, there were more than 37,700 active tenancies in receipt of HAP support and over 21,000 separate landlords and agents involved in providing accommodation to those households.

HAP commenced in Galway County Council on 16 November 2015 and in Galway City Council on 1 February 2016. At end Q2 2018, the total numbers of active HAP tenancies in those areas were 1,148 in Galway City and 842 in Galway County.

Rebuilding Ireland sets annual national targets for additional HAP-supported tenancies. A target was set to support an additional 17,000 households through HAP in 2018 and, at end Q2, an additional 9,083 HAP tenancies had been set up.

Individual weekly targets were set for all local authorities in order to ensure delivery of the annual HAP targets set nationally under Rebuilding Ireland and to allow for the appropriate and orderly financial planning of the exchequer allocation to the scheme. The table below sets out the weekly HAP targets for Galway City and County Councils for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018.

HAP is replacing Rent Supplement (RS) for those with a long term housing need who qualify for social housing support. However, RS will remain available through the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) to households as a short-term income support.

Individuals with a housing need, who in the past were reluctant to avail of full time work, as they would lose their RS support, can now move to HAP and avail of full-time work and retain their housing support, with an adjustment in their differential rent. The strategic aim is to complete the transfers from long term rent supplement to HAP by 2020, as outlined in Rebuilding Ireland.

The table below sets out for Galway City and County Councils:

- the number of new 2018 HAP tenancies set up at end Q2;

- the number of these tenancies that are transfers from RS; and

- the percentage of new 2018 HAP tenancies to end Q2 that were transfers from RS.