Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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380. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of times the discretionary top-up for HAP payments was used in 2021 in County Wexford by municipal district; the average percentage amount of this top-up per municipal district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9933/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q3 2021, over 97,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 62,000 households actively in receipt of HAP support, including 1,554 households in Wexford.

Local authorities have discretion, because of local rental market conditions, to exceed the maximum rent limit by up to 20%, or up to 50% in the Dublin region for those households either in, or at immediate risk of homelessness. It is a matter for each local authority to determine whether the application of a discretionary increase is warranted, and the level of such an increase, on a case-by-case basis.

A breakdown of the number of HAP tenancies at end Q3 2021 and the average discretionary increase paid for each of the municipal districts in Wexford is detailed in the table below.

Section 43 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, gives the Minister the power to determine the appropriate amount of rent for qualified households, where the household class is not already prescribed for in the HAP regulations. This is mainly used for larger families. The figure for Gorey/ Kilmuckridge municipal district is above the 20% discretion available to local authorities as there are a number of Section 43 determinations included in the calculation.