I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 175 together.
The Social Housing Strategy 2020 published in November 2014 sets out clear, measureable 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 (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand.
Target-setting on an individual local authority by local authority basis is well underway, and will be concluded in Quarter 1 2015, in accordance with the timeline set out in the Strategy. In this regard, letters have issued to each local authority, from my Department, seeking delivery proposals, across all delivery mechanisms, for the years 2015 to 2017 and returns are currently being received and collated.
With regard to overall national delivery targets for 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided, broken down as follows:
- 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies;
- 3,000 units under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative;
- 1,000 vacant local authority units will be returned to use ; and
- 2,000 new Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) units.
In addition, a further 8,400 households will be assisted through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Total housing provision for 2015 will result in an investment of almost €800 million across a range of housing programmes.
Over the two year period 2016 to 2017, I envisage some 13,500 additional new units will be provided, while a further 22,000 households will also be accommodated through HAP and RAS in that period. The precise details of the delivery will be agreed on a local authority by local authority basis.
In terms of land use, local authorities will have regard to the suitability and availability of land within their land banks and sites within the Land Aggregation Scheme, when making proposals to my Department.
Finally, my Department collates and publishes a wide range of housing and planning statistics that inform the preparation and evaluation of policy. Data on local authority housing stock (including the number of units completed and the number of units in progress, broken down by local authority) is available on my Department’s website at: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/FileDownLoad,15291,en.xls.
