Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 March 2014
128. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the total number of directly built local authority houses, by county, throughout the country in each of the past ten years to date; the extent to which it is expected to address the serious housing deficit by way of a direct building programme in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12387/14]
View answer129. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if consideration will be given to the acquisition of existing housing units with a view to meeting the emergency housing requirements of families throughout Dublin and the adjoining counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12388/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together.
My Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of policy, and those data are available on my Department’s website www.environ.ie. The data show that a total of 35,547 units of local authority social housing were provided over the past ten years. Some 27,407 units, including those delivered in accordance with the provisions of Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 – 2008, were delivered through a construction programme with a further 8,149 units acquired through the purchase of built properties.
The Government’s 2011 Housing Policy Statement clearly outlines that the priority for Government is to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support. Government is responding to these needs through a variety of mechanisms and more flexible funding models. To maximise the social housing gain from constrained resources, the social housing leasing initiative and the Rental Accommodation Scheme each play their part and I am fully committed to capturing social housing gain from private developments. Alongside expanding the role of the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in terms of acquisitions and construction, other mechanisms will include options to purchase within the leasing model and build to lease.
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. In 2014, funding for housing, at over €587m, is effectively maintained at 2013 levels. This includes a €50 million capital stimulus to support construction and related programmes, 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. I expect the final output across all social housing programmes for 2014 to be in the region of 5,000 new housing units.
With the benefit of the additional capital for new housing construction, I expect the new social housing construction programme for 2014 - 2015 to deliver close to 700 new social and voluntary homes. A special investment of €15 million for the retrofitting of boarded-up local authority houses is intended to bring 400 homes back into productive use. I remain committed to continuing to develop innovative and sustainable approaches to the provision of social housing.
