I propose to take Questions Nos. 306, 307, 310, 323, 324, 325 and 327 together.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
Under Housing for All, there was provision for 200 social housing acquisitions each year. However, with increased pressures on housing and the exit of landlords from the market, my Department reinstated delegated sanction to local authorities in April 2022 to acquire social housing properties for a number of specific categories which included:
- One-bedroom units to deliver on Housing First and meet the short supply in this category;
- Other properties that allow persons/families to exit homelessness; and
- Specific housing required for/suitable for individuals with a disability or other particular priority needs.
For 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire up to 1,500 social homes and my Department. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. A circular letter issued to all local authorities on 14 March, setting out details of these arrangements. The circular provided each local authority with a provisional allocation for the number of acquisitions, which will be kept under review.
Local authorities have delegated sanction to deliver the 1,300 additional acquisitions, subject to those acquisitions being within Acquisition Cost Guidelines issued by the Department. However, my Department will also consider proposals for acquisitions where the cost exceeds the costs set out in the Guidelines. The associated funding to support the delivery of additional homes through increased social housing acquisitions in 2023 will come from within the Department’s overall capital envelope assigned under the National Development Plan (NDP). No specific financial allocation has been made to individual local authorities.
Where a household is on the housing list in one local authority but has secured a HAP tenancy in another local authority area, the arrangements in place will support the acquisition of the property, where appropriate. The City and County Management Association (CCMA) has assured me that local authorities are collaborating on such situations and my Department will work closely with local authorities on this measure.
My Department is also developing proposals for a bespoke cost rental model which would see a nominated provider avail of this First Right of Refusal to purchase the property and allow tenants who have received a notice of termination and who are at risk of homelessness, but are not eligible for social housing supports, to continue to reside in the property.
In the meantime, the cost rental tenant in situ backstop will be applied on a temporary administrative basis from 1 April 2023, prior to legislative enactment, with a view to supporting households at risk of homelessness. Further details on this measure will be announced shortly.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity in all local authorities, including information on social housing acquisitions. This data is available until the end of Quarter 3 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
Data for Quarter 4 is currently being collated and will be published shortly. Data published to date does not include a breakdown of properties acquired where a tenant has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. For 2023, an amendment is being made to my Department's statistical returns to collect information in this regard.