Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

315. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of HAP tenancies enacted to date in 2021, by local authority; and the cost of HAP, by local authority, in tabular form. [62507/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households throughout the State. At the end of Q3 2021 there were more than 62,000 households in receipt of HAP and over 33,600 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.

In respect of the provision of HAP funding, Limerick City and County Council provides a highly effective HAP transactional shared service on behalf of all 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.

Budget 2021 increased the Exchequer funding for the HAP scheme to €558 million. This allows for the continued support of existing HAP households and also enables an additional 15,000 households to be supported by HAP in 2021. HAP expenditure at the end of Q3 2021 was €394 million.

Data in relation to funding provided by the State for HAP tenancies in 2019 and 2020, broken down by local authority area, can be found on my Department's website at this link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#housing-assistance-payment

This funding represents the portion paid by my Department after receipt of the differential rent which is paid by the tenant to the local authority. It does not include administration costs related to the Scheme.

The table below shows the number of new HAP tenancies, by local authority area, established to the end of Q3 2021.