Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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317. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing first tenancies delivered and sustained in 2022; and the target number of housing first tenancies for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15313/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing First recognises that a stable home provides the basis for recovery in other areas. With Housing First, the priority is to support a person who has experienced homelessness into permanent housing as quickly as possible, without any preconditions around addiction or mental health treatment. Then, intensive work continues on these issues once they are housed. Housing First has been a key element of Government homelessness policy.

The Housing First approach to addressing homelessness places direct access to housing first and foremost for vulnerable individuals using homeless services consistently or intermittently over long periods of time, and those unable or resistant to accessing homeless services and who may then become habitual rough sleepers. These individuals often have complex high support needs such as mental or physical health problems, addiction issues or dual diagnosis (the presence of mental ill health and a substance addiction).

Data on the number of Housing First tenancies created are published every three months as part of my Department's Homeless Quarterly Progress Reports. The most recent report, for Q4 2022, can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/246916/5ec94637-935d-4c63-8f8f-0240542ef8fb.pdf#page=null.

Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland committed to the further expansion of Housing First. A new National Implementation Plan, which provides for a further 1,319 tenancies covering the period 2022-2026, was published in December 2021. The new Plan outlines the targets for each region and in each year. In 2023, it is aimed to create a total of 269 Housing First tenancies.

The Housing First programme had an overall sustainment rate of 86% during the 2018-2021 Implementation Plan period, and most recent figures show that this rate has been maintained during the first year of the 2022-2026 plan.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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318. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the State expenditure on housing assistance payment and rent supplement in each of the years 2015 to 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15314/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on social housing delivery activity in all local authority areas on the statistics page of its website. The data requested in the Question in relation to funding provided by the State for HAP tenancies in 2019?2021, 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.

2022 data is currently being collated and will be published when available.

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 Department of Social Protection operates the Rent Supplement scheme which continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation. This scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation. Further data in relation to this scheme is available from the Department of Social Protection.