Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2013
370. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of new houses each local authority has acquired in each of the past ten years; if these houses were new builds or acquired through the National Asset Management Agency or any other available scheme; his plans to build or acquire new social housing over the next five years on a yearly basis. [44673/13]
View answerMy Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of policy, and the data relating to the acquisition of houses by local authorities over the past ten years are available on my Department’s website www.environ.ie. The Government’s housing policy statement, published in June 2011, clearly identifies that the priority for Government will be to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support.
I am determined to ensure that the social housing programme optimises the delivery of social housing and the return for the resources invested. To achieve this, it is essential that we tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing conditions and explore the full range of solutions to address housing needs. The financial parameters within which we will continue to operate rule out a return to large capital funded construction programmes. The Government is committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to social housing support needs through a variety of mechanisms, including through increased provision of social housing.
In July 2012 I announced details of a three-year funding programme of €100 million to deliver some 800 new units of voluntary and local authority owned social housing. I am monitoring expenditure under my Department’s housing programme for 2013, together with the level of contractual commitments extending into 2014, with a view to a decision later this year on approving some limited new construction and house purchases over the period to end 2014. In addition Budget 2014 provides for the allocation of a further €50 million to fund infrastructural investment primarily in the housing area, including €30 million to recommence a State house building programme; €10 million for an unfinished housing estate resolution project; and €10 million for housing adaptation grants. When this is taken into account, funding for housing for next year is effectively maintained at 2013 levels.
Delivery of social housing will also continue to be significantly facilitated through more flexible funding models such as the Rental Accommodation Scheme and leasing; other funding mechanisms to increase the supply of permanent new social housing will include options to purchase, build to lease and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies for construction and acquisition. In addition, my Department and the Housing Agency are engaged with NAMA to ensure continued delivery of housing units for social purposes. In spite of the current challenging circumstances, I expect the final output across all social housing programmes for 2013 to be in the region of 5,000 new housing units, and it is provisionally estimated that in the region of 5,000 units will be provided for social housing in 2014.
