Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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260. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount paid out in rent supplements in 2018. [4531/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Rent supplement continues its vital role in housing families and individuals for which the Government has provided €132.4 million for 2019.

The strategic goal of returning rent supplement to its original purpose; that of a short-term income support, has been primarily facilitated by the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). The “Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness (July 2016), reiterated in the “Housing First National Implementation Plan 2018-2021” (September 2018), is to provide 87,000 flexible housing supports through the HAP and Rental Accommodation Scheme between 2016 and 2021. Part of this commitment will be the transfer of those out of rent supplement with long-term housing needs to HAP with a targeted completion date of these transfers by the end of 2020.

For 2018, expenditure on the scheme was approximately €175.0m; with an average recipient base of 28,700 persons per month in reciept of support throughout the year.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.