Written Answers Nos. 304-317
305. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 1.21; the improvements he intends to make to the mortgage-to-rent scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35050/16]
View answerUp to the end of Quarter 3 2016, a total of 3,498 cases had been submitted under the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme which was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of private commercial lending institutions. Of the 3,498 cases submitted, 2,642 were ineligible or terminated during the process for a variety of reasons. Of the remaining cases submitted, 669 are being actively progressed and 187 have been completed. The scheme is part of the overall suite of social housing options and an important part of the mortgage arrears resolution process. A number of amendments were made to the scheme in July 2015 to enable more properties to qualify and to make the scheme more flexible and accessible to borrowers.
Notwithstanding the amendments already made to the scheme in 2015, the Government has included a review of the MTR scheme as an action in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The review, currently underway, is examining what further amendments can be made to the scheme to make it work better for borrowers and my Department is consulting with key stakeholders in this regard. The review will also explore alternative models for the purchase of units, including long-term leasing arrangements. The review is to be completed by the end of the year.
308. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.3 to accelerate the roll-out of the housing assistance payments scheme on a national basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35053/16]
View answerThe implementation of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a key Government priority and the accelerated roll-out of the scheme on a national basis is an important early action for completion in Rebuilding Ireland: Action Pl an for Housing and Homelessness. HAP is now available to all qualified households in 19 local authority areas, with over 14,500 households currently being supported by the scheme and around 9,500 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to those households. A breakdown of the number of households supported by HAP in each local authority area at the end of September 2016 is available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Rebuilding Ireland commits to accelerating the roll-out of the HAP scheme to nine further local authorities by the end of 2016 and the remaining three Dublin local authorities by the end of March 2017, completing the national roll-out of the scheme. An intensive programme of training for Cavan, Kerry, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow County Councils is currently ongoing in preparation for the proposed introduction of the scheme in these areas from December 1, subject to the necessary regulations being in place.
The full roll-out of the scheme will be completed by March 2017, with the introduction of HAP to the administrative areas of Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and Fingal County Council. A multi-agency HAP Implementation Dublin Working Group has been established to advise and prepare for the introduction of the scheme to the Dublin region based on experience of the roll-out to date, and the particular pressures and characteristics of the rental market in Dublin.
309. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.4, wherein the NTMA will work with the private sector to establish a funding vehicle capable of facilitating off balance sheet investment in delivering social and private housing; when this funding vehicle will be operational; the number of housing units to be delivered through this mechanism in 2017 and 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35054/16]
View answerWork on developing the new funding vehicle is underway within the NTMA. Potential models for the structure of the vehicle are being examined and bilateral engagement is ongoing between the NTMA and my Department. A critical factor in the delivery of the action will be that the funding vehicle is ‘off balance sheet’ from a Government accounting perspective. Consultation involving EUROSTAT and the Central Statistics Office to address considerations affecting the potential balance-sheet treatment of the vehicle is ongoing. If significant challenges in respect of both the commercial and the ‘on-/off-balance sheet’ treatment of such a vehicle can be addressed satisfactorily, the objective is to establish a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in 2017 to acquire properties for onward leasing to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies under long-term leasing arrangements that are already well established in the market. It is envisaged that the SPV, if commercial and off-balance sheet treatment are established, has the potential to provide in the order of 5,00 0 units over a five-year period for social housing purposes. This would include provision in respect of 2017 and 2018.
312. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 2.7 to enhance land management and utilise land to the greatest extent possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35057/16]
View answer334. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 3.5 to prepare a national land supply management strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35079/16]
View answer348. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government following the publication of his action plan for housing and homelessness four months ago the status of the progress made to date on action 4.12 to carry out an assessment of scope for provision of additional student accommodation on local authority or other publicly owned lands; when this assessment will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35098/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 312, 334 and 348 together.
The active pursuit of progressing housing developments on State lands, including local authority lands, is a major part of the new approach to housing provision under Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.
Rebuilding Ireland contains a number of integrated actions to underpin State land supply management, including the preparation of a Strategic Management Plan for the sites under the Land Aggregation Scheme (Action 2.7); the development of a National Land Supply Management Strategy (Action 3.5), within the context of the new National Planning Framework; and an assessment of the scope for the provision of additional student accommodation on local authority or other publicly- owned lands (Action 4.12).
In accordance with the timelines outlined in Rebuilding Ireland, the Housing Agency is preparing a Strategic Management Plan for all Land Aggregation Scheme sites which will be completed in the first Quarter of 2017. The broader National Land Supply Management Strategy is being developed with in the context of the National Planning Framework which is due to be finalised by mid- 2017.
In this regard, my Department has commenced work on assembling data on the location and availability of local authority or other publicly owned lands for the purpose of the provision of new housing, including additional student accommodation. This work is being conducted with the support of the Housing Agency; relevant Government Departments and Agencies; local authorities and the Office of Public Works in the context of its work in relation to the State Property Register.
To date, data on over 700 individual local authority and Land Aggregation Scheme sites has been gathered and collated. The identification of other publicly owned lands will focus initially on the main urban areas (i.e. Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford ). Once the broader data set is available, during the first Quarter of 2017, I anticipate that this will provide an enhanced basis for identification of lands for the provision of increased housing, including for student accommodation, in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills and other stakeholders.
During this data gathering phase, a number of early actions have already been undertaken by local authorities and the Housing Agency to progress housing development on sites in public ownership, particularly in areas of high housing demand. One such proposal was announced by South Dublin County Council at the recent launch event for Pillar 3 of Rebuilding Ireland in relation to a site that could yield almost 1, 000 new homes in Kilcarberry, Clondalkin. I expect further proposals to be brought forward by other local authorities in the coming months.
Rebuilding Ireland contains a clear commitment to reporting regular progress, through both a monthly housing activity report and a quarterly overall progress report. The First Quarterly Progress Report on the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland (in respect of Quarter 3 2016 commitments and actions) was published on 1 November 2016, and can be accessed through the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/First-Progress-Report.pdf.
Further progress reports will be published on a quarterly basis, with the next due to be published in January 2017. Each Quarterly Report will focus on the actions due to be progressed or completed in the preceding quarter.
