Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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605. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has any plans to increase rent thresholds for single renters in existing HAP tenancies. [61275/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The HAP scheme continues to plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals. At the end of Q2 2025, over 128,500 HAP tenancies had been set up since the scheme commenced, of which there were 51,736 households actively in receipt of HAP support.

Since 11 July 2022, each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit, or up to 50% in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. Additional flexibility was also given, from this date, for local authorities to apply a couple HAP rate to single person households. Recognising that newer tenancies are at a higher cost than those tenancies already in place, the measure only applied to new tenancies. It is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the discretion is warranted on a case-by-case basis and also the level of additional discretion applied in each case.

My Department has reviewed the use of these measures and their impact on the overall affordability of the HAP scheme for tenants. This review has highlighted that the affordability and sustainability of HAP tenancies continues to be impacted by pressures in the private rental market. I have approved a review of existing HAP rent limits and my Department is now determining the parameters for this review. It is intended that the review will consider the existing rent limits with a view to providing sufficient support to assist eligible households to access and maintain tenancies.