Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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530. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of recipients of rent supplement in each of the years 2011 to 2018 and to date in 2019, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10277/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Rent supplement continues its vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 23,300 recipients for which the Government has provided  €132.4 million for 2019.

End of year statistics for rent supplement recipients by county for the years 2011 to  2018 and to date in 2019, are provided in the attached tabular statement.  The 2019 figure, similar to that for 2018, is predicated on current trends associated with Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP) and the underpinning macroeconomic conditions for next year.

The aim of 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 with long term housing needs out of rent supplement and on to HAP with a targeted completion date for these transfers of the end of 2020.  

Tabular Statement:

Rent Supplement Recipients by County 2011 - End of January 2019