Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014
96. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the portion of the units offered by the National Asset Management Agency for social housing but not used by local authorities that were on the basis of concerns over social mix in an area; if he will provide a breakdown of each council areas, detailing the number of units and the location of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25447/14]
View answerMy Department continues to work closely and successfully with NAMA, the Housing Agency, local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies in relation to the delivery of social housing. To the end of Quarter 1 this year, NAMA have identified 4,653 units as being potentially suitable for social housing. Of these some 1,849 units have been confirmed by local authorities as being suitable.
Of the current portfolio of available and confirmed demand properties, 684 units have been contracted or committed for social housing use to date. A further 451 properties are considered as being active transactions whereby terms are agreed or active negotiation is on-going by all parties concerned or where a detailed appraisal (i.e. determining the most likely delivery mechanism) is being carried out. An additional 702 properties are to be further appraised, signalling continued further future delivery in 2015 and 2016. Detailed information in relation to the delivery of NAMA sourced units, updated on a quarterly basis, is available on the Housing Agency’s website (www.housing.ie).
My Department does not keep a breakdown by council area of the reasons for a local authority deeming a unit not to be suitable for social housing . However , it is estimated that in the region of 20% of the units deemed unsuitable were by reason of maintaining the sustainability of a community. In addition, the composition of housing need in an area may not match the type of property available. Units identified by NAMA, as with all forms of social housing, must demonstrate that they do not conflict with the broad objectives of sustainable communities which are at the heart of housing policy. However, local authorities, particularly those in high demand areas, are reviewing the list of NAMA sourced properties to see if innovative solutions can be found that might allow them to bring units into use that were previously not considered suitable.
My Department and NAMA have set a delivery target of 500 units through this process in 2014, a target which I am confident we can meet . However, it should be noted that 2014 and 2015 are likely to represent the peak years for delivery of social housing from NAMA sources under the current model. Along with the on-going review of existing properties by local authorities, a greater focus on building out of incomplete units will be required in order to continue significant delivery of social housing units through this process.
