Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
711. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many approved housing bodies are currently in operation in Ireland at present; what is their combined number of housing units; and the combined amount in euros of these that are fixed assets. [16479/23]
View answer713. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many approved housing bodies have signed up to the code of practice that the State introduced. [16481/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 711 and 713 together.
As 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. It is not clear what code of practice to which the Deputy refers.
The register of AHBs previously managed by my Department was officially transferred to AHBRA on 1 January 2022. On this date there were 450 AHBs that were deemed registered and are subject to all provisions in the Act. AHBRA is responsible for maintaining the register and for registering organisations as AHBs. The register is published on AHBRA's website, available here: www.ahbregulator.ie/registration/the-register/. Currently, 450 organisations remain registered as AHBs.
Statistics on overall units owned, managed or leased by AHBs are captured as part of AHBRA's annual monitoring programme. The first monitoring programme took place in 2022 and statistics will be published by the Regulator over the coming months.
The Department does not keep information in relation to the monetary value of each AHBs fixed assets, this is a matter for each individual AHB.
