Figures released yesterday by the Parliamentary Budget Office show that Louth has the highest percentage of Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) properties in the country.

Commenting, Labour Councillor Emma Cutlip said:  “I find it shocking that Louth has the highest percentage of HAP tenancies across all 31 local authorities in the country.

“The state is clearly paying considerable amounts of money to house a very large number of people on a temporary basis. The vast majority of these HAP tenancies are households that are on long waiting lists for social housing.

 “5.6% of all Eircode’s are a HAP tenancy in Louth. This is simply unsustainable, and in my view a national scandal brought on from decades of under-provision of social housing and a failure of the Housing for All initiative to deliver.

 “With 3,050 HAP tenancies attracting a state subsidy of, on average, €713 per month, the state is paying millions of euros every single month to private landlords across the county.

 “These statistics highlight the need for serious investment by the government in Local Authority owned and administered social and affordable housing to address the needs of people in Louth.

“Public housing in public ownership is the only way to make every cent of public money count.”

What is HAP?

The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support provided by your local authority.

Local authorities make a monthly rental payment on your behalf to your landlord, subject to terms and conditions, including rent limits. In return, the HAP tenant pays a weekly contribution towards the rent to the local authority.

HAP allows you to work full-time, while still receiving housing support. For more information see hap.ie