Social and Affordable Housing Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2015

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Questions (212, 213)

Dessie Ellis

Question:

212. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans for the delivery of 5,386 social houses in 2015 as promised in his Social Housing Strategy 2020, including the breakdown of these units by local authority; the number of these units that will be covered by existing planning permissions held by local authorities across the State; the number of these units for which new planning permissions will have to be sought; if he will provide a breakdown of the units by proposed funding stream (details supplied). [2958/15]

Dessie Ellis

Question:

213. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views that the 5,386 social houses as detailed in his Social Housing Strategy 2020 will be built and tenanted in 2015. [2959/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 212 and 213 together.

Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014, which builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list.

The total targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand.

Action 1 of the Strategy requires the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis this year and in subsequent years. Action 4 of the Strategy requires the 4 Dublin local authorities to agree similar targets. Action 1 will be delivered by the Project Board while Action is the responsibility of the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce. Both actions will be delivered in quarter 1 2015 and to this end both Groups have recently met and have agreed the process on setting targets for each local authority. Consultation with individual Local Authorities is now taking place.

In 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided - 3,000 units through the leasing initiative; 1,000 vacant local authority units will be returned to use through a programme of refurbishment; a further 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies through the Social Housing Investment Programme and the Capital Assistance Scheme; and a further 2,000 new Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) units will be delivered. In addition, 8,400 households will be assisted through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

The planning status of units of social housing to be provided through the various mechanisms outlined is not held in my Department.