Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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788. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of providing rent supplement to 7,100 extra applications received since March 2020; the average cost per claim for each month; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19901/20]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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789. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps she has taken to advise persons that are now eligible to apply for rent supplement such as website updates, newspaper advertisements, social media advertisements and so on, during the Covid-19 response. [19902/20]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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861. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications by county received for rent allowance support during the Covid-19 period; the number of applications granted and refused, respectively by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20260/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 788, 789 and 861 together.

Rent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme currently supporting approximately 20,400 recipients as of 25^thJuly 2020.

The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that for those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment, can continue to meet their rental commitments.

As at 25th July, there are 6,315 rent supplement customers in payment awarded since the 13th March 2020 with an average tenancy cost for the scheme of €685 per month. There are 925 cases awaiting a payment decision or yet to supply all documentation needed to allow the officer dealing with the case to make a decision. The total associated costs for both cases awarded and pending is in the region of €59.5m, fully annualised. The attached tabular statements provide a rolling monthly average cost per claim for the periods requested; and a county analysis of rent supplement recipients awarded since 13th March 2020 and still in payment as at 25th July 2020. Statistics in relation to overall refusal rates for the scheme are not currently available, while approximately 1,000 cases, awarded since 13th March, no longer receive RS support as they have returned to work.

In the context of the Covid emergency, the position is that for persons to be eligible for Rent Supplement, once it has been confirmed that they are a bona fide tenant, the two standing qualification criteria apply:

The customer was in receipt of Rent Supplement in the last 12  months before the date of application; or,

The customer was living in private rented accommodation prior to the Covid emergency (at least 4 weeks), could afford their rent at the beginning of the tenancy and were now unable to continue to pay the rent because of a substantial change in their circumstances.

The principal underlying criteria for access to the Scheme have not changed: an applicant receiving a primary social welfare payment or reduced income with an identifiable rental commitment can apply. Rent supplement’s core customer message remains in line with previous policy, and is supported by the existing customer information available explaining the Scheme’s objectives and criteria. Where a tenant approaches the Department for support towards their rental commitments, the application will be considered by the officer dealing with their case.

The overarching Covid-19 response in the case of rent supplement is to provide a flexible case-by-case driven solution for customers, providing temporary income support during the emergency for their housing costs. The scheme has not fundamentally changed, and I am satisfied that the appropriate information is available to both officers and the general public with respect to the scheme.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputies.

Table 1 - Average Monthly Rent Supplement Payment - 13th March to 25th July 2020.

* full month not captured.

Table 2 - County Analysis of COVID-19 Related Rent Supplement Recipients - as at 25/07/2020.