Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2015
32. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how the target of 1,400 new-builds or acquisitions by local authorities and approved housing bodies will be met by the end of 2015, given that only 403 new units were provided in the first six months of 2015, the details of the new units and where they will be provided. [44128/15]
View answerThe Social Housing Strategy 2020 provides a comprehensive response to the need for social housing and targets the provision of over 110,000 social housing units to 2020, 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. The output target for 2015 is set at 15,900 across the current and capital-funded programmes. Within that, a target of 2,400 units is to delivered through the capital-funded programmes of building/acquiring new social housing units by local authorities, new sheltered housing by approved housing bodies, and the returning of vacant properties to productive use. Current data show that over 2,500 units have already been delivered through the capital programmes as follows:
|
No. |
|
|
Local Authority Housing – construction and acquisition |
569 |
|
Capital Assistance Scheme |
199 |
|
Regeneration |
109 |
|
Vacant Units returned |
1,630 |
Local authorities have advised me that they are advancing the purchase of some 750 new units this year, many of which will be finalised between now and the end of the year, which is traditionally the time of greatest funding drawdown by local authorities. Combined with the further numbers of vacant housing units that I expect will be returned by the end of this year, this should mean that the capital target for 2015 will be further exceeded. All 31 local authorities are actively engaged in the delivery of these units in 2015, so the impact will be felt across all areas in terms of new social housing provision.
We now have a strong pipeline of new social housing construction projects in place following from the announcement in May of the first major social housing build programme under the Social Housing Strategy, with a further substantial announcement in July of approvals for local authorities and approved housing bodies. The outcome has been half a billion euro allocated for 2,900 social housing new builds and acquisitions to end 2017. I also propose to make further announcements in this regard early in the New Year. Coupled with new housing acquisitions and tackling vacant units, this means that progress towards achievement of the overall capital targets for the period out to 2017 is well advanced.
