ESB residential housing connections data represents the best available indicator that a house or apartment is completed and becoming available for occupation. ESB data, from 1996 onwards, are available on my Department’s website at http://www.housing.gov.ie/node/6301. The dataset will be updated to include data for June 2017 later this month.
ESB data includes recently completed once-off homes, multi-unit scheme developments and apartments as well as some re-connections to the grid where properties that have been unoccupied for over two years are being brought back into use. My Department is working with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to examine the potential for improving the data available to track new house completions, based on expanded ESB connection datasets and linking this data to other sources such as the Census.
In relation to the estimated annual national housing requirement, Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, published in July 2016, set a target of 25,000 new homes per annum by 2020, effectively doubling the output from the 12,600 recorded in 2015. The target was based on ESRI estimates at the time and the Plan recognised that this target may need to be exceeded to account for pent-up demand and accumulated under-supply over recent years.
In terms of social housing requirement, based on the latest Summary of Social Housing Assessments (December 2016), the total net household need was 91,600. The full report, covering each local authority area, is available on my Department’s website at – http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/summary_of_social_housing_assessments_2016.pdf.
Rebuilding Ireland commits to the delivery of an additional 47,000 social housing homes over the 6-year life-time of the Action Plan for which a ring-fenced Exchequer budget of €5.35 billion is in place. In addition, some 87,760 households' needs will be met through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Schemes. Last year, €935 million was invested in providing some 19,000 new social housing supports, through new builds, refurbishments and acquisitions as well as through the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme. In 2017, I expect that some 21,000 households will have their social housing needs met.
With regard to the wider housing market, a wide range of actions are already well advanced under Pillar 3 of Rebuilding Ireland to increase housing supply significantly, including through opening up State lands for housing; the €226m Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund to provide enabling infrastructure; planning reforms and a new fast-track planning process; promoting more efficient design and delivery methods to reduce housing delivery costs; and a review of costs of construction to identify potential efficiencies to make schemes more viable.
The Strategy for the Rental Sector, published in December 2016, focuses on increasing the supply of rented accommodation and supporting the development of a stable, strong and viable rental sector, offering true choice for households, investment opportunities for providers and reflecting the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords.
Through the range of actions currently being progressed through Rebuilding Ireland to increase the supply of homes across all tenures, the Government has made considerable progress towards restoring a more sustainable and normally functioning housing market. Nevertheless, I am giving further consideration to housing supply issues in the context of the targeted review of Rebuilding Ireland which is currently being concluded by my Department and which will be the subject of further announcements in relation to new and additional actions over the coming weeks.
