Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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438. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her Department’s total capital and current expenditure budget for 2021 and 2022 for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence with a breakdown for each related allocation for both years in tabular form. [3507/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that In response to reported increases in domestic violence, in August 2020 the Government agreed that rent supplement should be made available to victims of domestic violence, referred by Tusla or by Tusla-funded service providers, for an initial three months and, other than the payment of a minimum contribution, without the requirement of a means test. A means test applies for the subsequent three month period.

I was pleased to confirm in December, that following a review of this temporary measure, it has now been made a permanent feature of the Rent Supplement Scheme.

While the level of demand and the number of claims is relatively low, for the people who availed of it, rent supplement provided a valuable support during a time of difficulty. The average claim duration indicates that the current approach of an initial three month period with no means-test, followed by three months with a means test, with further local authority housing solutions after that, is appropriate.

It is estimated that the annual cost of the scheme is comparatively small at €0.45m and is provided for from within the current Rent Supplement budget.

My Department does not otherwise have specific expenditure allocations for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Except for the payment of rent supplement in certain cases, expenditure data is not available where these issues were a consideration in claim decisions.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.