Young people on social welfare will be soon be paying less rent.

The decreases comes into effect after the Minister for Social Protection announced a cut to the amount young job seekers pay towards their rent supplement.

It amounts to a saving of up to €20 a week, and applies to anyone under 26 on the Jobseekers Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Allowance who is in receipt of rent supplement.

Minister Leo Varadkar said the measure would help to ease the rental burden for young people on welfare, and was intended to help young people transition from homeless services into rented accommodation.