Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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652. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount spent in each of the years 2017, 2018 and to date in 2019 by local authorities on HAP; the estimated amount for 2020 and 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51171/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q2 2019, over 62,700 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 48,000 households actively in receipt of HAP support and over 28,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.

Limerick City and County Council provide a highly effective transactional shared service on behalf of all HAP local authorities. This HAP Shared Services Centre (SSC) manages all HAP related rental transactions for the tenant, local authority and landlord. Accordingly, my Department does not recoup individual local authorities in respect of HAP rental payments in their administrative areas but rather recoups all landlord costs via the HAP SSC.

HAP is funded through a combination of Exchequer monies and tenant differential rents collected in respect of HAP tenancies. Budget 2019 increased the Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme to €422 million. This is allowing for the continued support of existing HAP households and also enable the additional 16,760 households targeted under Rebuilding Ireland to be supported by HAP in 2019, as well as supporting the roll-out of the Homeless HAP Place Finder Support Service across the country.

Details on the Exchequer funding for HAP are set out in the table below:

Budget 2020 increased the Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme to €502.7 million. This will enable a further 15,750 households to be supported, as well as continuing support for the over 52,000 existing HAP tenancies which will be in place at end 2019.

The 2021 budgetary provision for housing programmes will be determined in the context of the relevant estimates process.

My Department continues to keep the operation of the HAP scheme under review, which I consider to be a key vehicle for meeting housing need and fulfilling the ambitious programme outlined under Rebuilding Ireland.