Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2015
532. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if it is the local authority or the voluntary housing organisation which own the homes rented to tenants by organisations such as Cluid or the National Association of Building Co-operatives; his views on the role of voluntary housing organisations in tackling the housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17414/15]
View answerApproved housing bodies (AHBs) are organisations approved under section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 to provide social housing support in conjunction with local authorities. These organisations include voluntary housing associations.
The ownership of homes being rented to tenants by AHBs varies, depending on the scheme under which the dwelling was provided. Since the late 1980s, approximately 27,000 units of accommodation have been provided by AHBs under capital funding schemes underpinned by mortgages. More recently, a scheme was introduced that provides an up-front capital payment of up to 30% of the property value to facilitate AHBs in raising private finance to acquire or build new social housing units. The capital advanced is repayable at the end of a payment and availability agreement, usually after 30 years. Under the terms of these various funding schemes, AHBs are the de facto owners of the properties and are required to make them available for social renting for the duration of the mortgage or, as the case may be, the availability agreement.
In addition, under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme, AHBs can purchase, construct or lease housing units and make them available for social housing. AHBs can also manage unsold affordable units on behalf of a local authority. These unsold affordable units remain in the ownership of the local authority, while those in leasing arrangements remain either in private ownership or are in the ownership of the NAMA special purpose vehicle (SPV).
Social housing is key priority for the Government, evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for it in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014. AHBs have a key role to play in the provision of social housing and this is recognised in the Strategy.
