1941. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has received the Housing Agency's review of the HAP limits and to confirm that he will engage with the Oireachtas Committee Housing before making a final decision on how to proceed with this matter. [63664/26]

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support available for people who have a long-term housing need. Once a household has been deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing supports available, including the HAP scheme, to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority.

Under the HAP scheme, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market. This accommodation should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned.

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. Local authorities also have additional flexibility to apply a couple HAP rate to single-person households. This additional measure recognises the challenges experienced by single-person households, and the fact that both single and couple households have a one-bed need.

My Department reviewed the use of these measures and their impact on the overall affordability of the HAP scheme for tenants. This exercise highlighted that the affordability and sustainability of HAP tenancies continue to be impacted by pressures in the private rental market. Therefore, I gave approval for a review of the HAP rent limits to be undertaken to ensure there is sufficient support under the HAP scheme to assist eligible households in accessing accommodation in the private rental sector.

As part of this review, the Housing Agency carried out an analysis of the rental market and submitted its report to my Department on 16 July. This report helped inform my Department’s review of the HAP rent limits, which is almost complete. Once it has been finalised, I will consider its findings and set out the next steps.