Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2015
875. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the lack of adequate and available housing stock, due to policies over a period of years that have resulted in a lack of investment in local authority housing and in affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24802/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Government published Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector in May 2014 which is aimed at addressing issues in the property and construction sectors and ensuring that any critical bottlenecks that might impede the sector in meeting residential and non-residential demand are addressed. My Department is leading on a range of measures under Construction 2020 to support increased housing delivery. In particular, the Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015 provides for changes in development contributions, revisions to Part V arrangements and a new vacant site levy. The Bill is currently before the Seanad and I expect it to complete its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer recess.
Social housing is a 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, itself an action under Construction 2020. The total targeted provision under the Strategy of 110,000 social housing units includes the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units through Pillar 1. The private rental sector, through Pillar 2 of the Strategy, will accommodate up to 75,000 eligible low-income households primarily through the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Importantly, the Strategy restores the State to a central role in the provision of social housing.
Since the Strategy was published, details of over €1.5 billion for building, purchasing and leasing schemes, to accommodate 25% of the housing list by 2017, has been announced, with €312m approved for the first tranche of building 1,700 social housing units. The projects will have a knock on effect of creating approximately 3,000 jobs in construction. This announcement covers some 100 separate housing projects, across all 31 local authorities, the details of which are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm.
Further announcements of new unit delivery under the Capital Assistance Scheme and the broader social housing investment programmes will be made in the coming weeks and months.
The Government is committed to ensuring that every household will have access to secure, good quality housing suited to their needs at an affordable price in a sustainable community, as demonstrated by its action-driven approach under Construction 2020 and the Social Housing Strategy.
