John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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409. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the frequency of use of the discretionary top-up for HAP payments in 2019 in County Wicklow by municipal district; the average percentage of this top-up per municipal district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15229/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities have discretion, on a case by case basis, based on the local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum HAP rent limit by up to 20%. In the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of, homelessness, the local authorities can exceed the limit by up to 50%.

As at Q4 2019 approximately 42.7% of the total number of households supported by HAP were benefiting from the additional flexibility. If the additional discretion available to homeless households in the Dublin Region is removed, then 36% of households nationally were benefiting from the additional flexibility. In those cases, the average rate of discretionary payment was 16.6% above HAP rent limits.

A breakdown of the number of HAP tenancies in 2019, and the average top-up percentage paid, for the municipal areas requested, is set out in the following table: