Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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333. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to confirm that all local authorities are obligated to provide AHBs developing under the capital assistance scheme in their local authority area with the applicable unit cost ceilings, if he is aware of any circumstances where this is the case; and whether has a circular or guidance been issued on the matter. [19361/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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334. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to outline the circumstances under which cost rental tenants may be eligible to access the housing assistance payment. [19362/23]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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335. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will now implement a tenancy deposit protection scheme for renters, as provided for in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015; if he will outline his reasons for not commencing such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19363/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for the development of a deposit protection scheme to be operated by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). Significant changes have taken place in the rental market since this Act.

Section 7 of the Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021 inserted a new section 19B into the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 which applies to tenancies created on or after 9 August 2021, to restrict the total amount that a tenant is required to pay to a landlord by way of a deposit or an advance rent payment to secure a tenancy to no more than the equivalent of two months’ rent (i.e. any deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent and any advance rent payment cannot exceed one month’s rent). A restriction of the equivalent of one month’s rent is also placed on the amount that a tenant is obliged to pay as a regular advance rent payment to a landlord during a tenancy. These measures are intended to greatly reduce any financial exposure to tenants, on foot of paying such restricted upfront payments.

Action 2.10 of Housing for Allrequires that, among other things an examination for the creation of a system of holding rental deposits, informed by international experience occurs. This examination has a timeline of Q2 2023.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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336. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government how many staff have been hired to deal with the tenant in situ scheme; the number of vacant positions still available; the breakdown by local authority of the number of persons hired to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19367/23]

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he will issue a circular to local authorities setting out the guidelines for the tenant in situ, for common situations where a tenant receives their HAP payment from one local authority, but it is a different local authority that wishes to purchase the property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19402/23]