475. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average gross and net cost to the Exchequer per year of the 2,328 homeless HAP tenancies set up in 2025. [51393/26]

Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), homeless households or those at risk of homelessness may be eligible for additional supports. To qualify for specific additional supports, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988. The operation of local homeless services, including the Place Finder Service, is a matter for each local authority.

Expenditure on the initial set-up costs of 2025 homeless HAP tenancies was €12.1m. This comprises of rent in advance, deposits and associated costs.

Once a homeless HAP tenancy is set up, the ongoing cost of the tenancy is provided for under the general HAP scheme monthly landlord payments. The costs of homeless HAP tenancies are not differentiated.

At the end of Q4 2025, over 131,600 HAP tenancies had been set up since the scheme commenced, of which there were 49,663 households actively in receipt of HAP support. In 2025, 6,556 new HAP tenancies were set up. Of these, 2,328 were Homeless HAP. The monthly gross average cost per HAP tenancy at the end of Q4 2025 was €1,027. The monthly average cost per HAP tenancy funded by the Exchequer i.e. net of average differential rent, at the end of Q4 2025 was €762.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on social housing delivery activity in all local authority areas on the statistics page of its website. Data in relation to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), including funding provided to end Q4 2025, can be found on my Department’s website at this link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#housing-assistance-payment.

Q1 2026 figures are currently being compiled and will be published when that process is complete.