Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 February 2016
525. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government how many of the current-funded social housing units were transferred from the social inclusion and community activation programme and the National Asset Management Agency to local authorities and private developers. [4236/16]
View answer526. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the targets for current-funded social housing units in 2016 will be met, given that many of the units provided under the social inclusion and community activation Programme have come from the National Asset Management Agency, whose suitable social housing stock has mostly been transferred to local authorities for use as social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4237/16]
View answer554. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of social housing units provided including those funded under the rental accommodation scheme, the sustainable cultural heritage through engagement of local communities project, the housing assistance payment scheme capital funded units, units transferred from the National Asset Management Agency, units brought back to productive use under his refurbishment programme and other capital assistance schemes in 2015, by local authority. [4461/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 525, 526 and 554 together.
The report Social Housing Output in 2015 contains details on the progress made under each of the social housing programmes last year and is available on my Department’s website at:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,44105,en.htm.
Section 4 of the Report deals with Capital Programmes and outlines that 4,188 units were delivered in 2015. Details of unit delivery across the capital funded programmes broken down by local authority are contained in Table 1 below.
I assume that the Questions are referring to the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) rather than the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP) or the Sustainable Cultural Heritage through Engagement of Local Communities project, neither of which are related to the provision of social housing.
Under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP - previously referred to as the Social Housing Leasing Initiative) local authorities can enter into long term leases or rental arrangements and make them available for social housing. In addition, approved housing bodies can purchase, lease or construct housing units and make them available for social housing under the SHCEP. To the end of November 2015, over 6,700 housing units have been delivered under SHCEP since it began in 2009. While the total number of new units delivered and operational using all of the mechanisms available under SHCEP in 2015 is yet to be finalised, I estimate that the final figure will be in the region of 1,450 units.
At end November 2015, an additional 2,280 units had received full funding approval under SHCEP and an additional 93 were at approval stage. While the focus of the SHCEP in recent years has been on the acquisition and long term leasing of existing housing units, my Department is providing an increasing number of approvals for assistance under SHCEP to approved housing bodies for the construction of new units for social housing use. At end of November 2015 , my Department had provided approval for the construction of 589 new units by approved housing bodies under the Scheme.
In 2011, a process was established to identify units that could be used for social housing purposes from properties that are part of the security for loans that NAMA has acquired. NAMA sourced units are brought into social housing through existing delivery mechanisms, including SHCEP, and to date more than 2,000 units have been secured for social housing in this way. A special purpose vehicle established by NAMA, the National Asset Residential Property Services Ltd. (NARPS), acquires properties from developers or receivers in NAMA’s portfolio and makes them available to local authorities and approved housing bodies by way of a long term lease. My Department, through SHCEP, recoups to local authorities the cost of these units. By end November 2015, 800 units in total had become operational using this mechanism; 389 of which became operational in 2015. The remaining units are due to become operational in 2016/17 and will contribute to the achievement of the 2016-2017 targets for SHCEP under the Social Housing Strategy.
A detailed breakdown of NAMA – related delivery is contained in the Social Housing Output in 2015 report.
Table 1 - Breakdown by Local Authority of delivery under Capital Programmes in 2015
|
Local Authority |
Units |
|
Carlow County Council |
49 |
|
Cavan County Council |
45 |
|
Clare County Council |
160 |
|
Cork City Council |
403 |
|
Cork County Council |
228 |
|
DLR County Council |
63 |
|
Donegal County Council |
177 |
|
Dublin City Council |
1,096 |
|
Fingal County Council |
277 |
|
Galway City Council |
49 |
|
Galway County Council |
73 |
|
Kerry County Council |
147 |
|
Kildare County Council |
97 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
51 |
|
Laois County Council |
50 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
15 |
|
Limerick City and County Co |
157 |
|
Longford County Council |
27 |
|
Louth County Council |
63 |
|
Mayo County Council |
102 |
|
Meath County Council |
90 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
35 |
|
Offaly County Council |
66 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
53 |
|
Sligo County Council |
71 |
|
Sth Dublin County Council |
62 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
179 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
65 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
81 |
|
Wexford County Council |
50 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
107 |
|
Total |
4,188 |
