Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 April 2021
137. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of the 29,720 households that have had their social housing needs met since 2016; the percentage that were housed through private rental accommodation and housing assistance payments; the percentage that were allocated permanent housing through local authority housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17719/21]
View answer138. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown of the 6,813 households that have had their social housing needs met since 2019; the percentage that were housed through private rental accommodation and housing assistance payments; the percentage that were allocated permanent housing through local authority housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17720/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 137, 138 and 141 together.
Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).
The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 6,813 households or 9.9% on the last assessment in June 2019. Since 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 61,880, a reduction of 32.4%.
It should be noted that the SSHA is a point in time snapshot of the demand for social housing support in each local authority area and does not necessarily reflect the dynamic nature of entry to and exit from the housing waiting lists. As such, the numbers of housing solutions provided do not equate to changes in the annual SSHA. The table below includes data on the number of housing solutions provided in each year from 2016-2020, which are provided by new social housing delivery through build acquisition and leasing, in addition to housing solutions supported by HAP and RAS.
|
Year |
Number of Housing Solutions Provided |
|
2016 |
19,045 |
|
2017 |
25,901 |
|
2018 |
27,103 |
|
2019 |
28,075 |
|
2020 |
24,625 |
The allocation of dwellings to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with their allocation scheme made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded in the allocation of dwellings to households qualified for social housing support and to households approved for a transfer, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the accommodation needs and requirements of the households.
