Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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123. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reports, analysis or other information his Department have received in relation to the impact of the accommodation recognition scheme on the private rental market; the engagements he has had with other Government Departments, State agencies or third parties in respect of this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65818/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is managed by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) on behalf of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration (DJHAM) and is payable to those providing pledged accommodation to Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) through the Irish Red Cross (IRC), the local authority-led Offer a Home (OaH) scheme and private arrangements to BoTPs.

ARP is a tax-free payment for each property and is set at €600 per month. The scheme is provided for in Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 and is referred to under the legislative title of the Financial Contribution for Hosting Temporary Protection Beneficiaries Scheme and in March 2025 the scheme was extended to 31 March 2026, at which point it will cease if not extended.

Following concerns raised by my Department on the possible impact of the ARP on the private rental market, in August 2024 the RTB carried out an analysis of properties in receipt of ARP that were also registered with the RTB since scheme began. The analysis has been conducted on a number of occasions since this time and clearly indicates that a significant number of former rental properties are now signed up to the ARP scheme.

Given already severe constraints on the availability of private rental sector accommodation and the impact that further reductions on supply could have on homelessness as well as schemes such as HAP and RAS, in July 2025 the Government approved amendments to the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022, limiting the eligibility of certain properties for ARP and amending the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to provide for necessary data sharing. In effect, rental properties will not be eligible to avail of new ARP applications. These changes are made with a view to safeguarding such accommodation for tenants and to address any potential for impact on the rental market.

Officials will continue to work collaboratively to advance legislative amendments to give effect to this change and it is expected that a memorandum to Government will be submitted in the coming weeks seeking the Government’s approval of the publication of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, which will include the legislative amendments to the ARP scheme.