Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2022
72. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will request the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority to conduct a value-for-money assessment of the approved housing bodies sector, given that there were 495 approved housing bodies listed in his Department’s register as of March 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24995/22]
View answerAs provided for in the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019, the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was formally established on 1 February 2021. AHBRA is an independent body tasked with providing the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies.
The register of AHBs previously managed by my Department was officially transferred to the AHBRA on 1 February 2022. The 2019 Act is being commenced on a phased basis to allow for the establishment of the office.
All AHBs are required to adopt the standards for AHBs that are provided for in the 2019 Act and were developed in conjunction with the sector. I approved the standards this year and they are available on the AHBRA’s website (www.ahbregulator.ie ). The standards cover matters relating to corporate governance; financial management and reporting; property and asset management; and tenancy management. The Regulator will monitor compliance by AHBs with the approved standards and will have the power to carry out a standards assessment to assess if an AHB is complying or failing to comply with the standards.
Among the Regulator's other functions will be to publish such information (including statistical information) concerning AHBs as the Regulator considers appropriate. It will be a matter for the Regulator to determine the format for same and the regularity with which they will be published.
