Social and Affordable Housing

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2012

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

Ceisteanna (160, 161)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

163 Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, further to Parliamentary Question No. 549 of 11 January 2012, if he will provide a breakdown of the 2,000 housing units by number of bedrooms; if the units involved have been inspected by the relevant local authority or any departmental staff to determine if they are suitable for use as social housing; if not, when such inspections will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2804/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Jan O’Sullivan)

The information requested in the question is not currently available in my Department. In general, the suitability or otherwise of the units involved for social housing has not yet been determined. Inspections will be carried out for properties that are to become the subject of lease or purchase arrangements prior to the signing of the legal agreements.

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

164 Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a list of the total number of social housing tenancies provided under the social housing leasing initiative per year in 2009-11, inclusive; the average cost of these units by unit size in each year; the average length of the leases in each year; the local authority area in which these tenancies were created; and a breakdown of whether the tenancies were managed by the local authority or a voluntary housing association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2805/12]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Jan O’Sullivan)

By the end of December, 2011 2,496 housing units were provided under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative as follows:

Leasing units operational

Year	2009	2010	2011	Total
Units	437	866	1,193	2,496

The current average annual cost of all units is €6,327. The average cost for units leased from the private or voluntary sector is €7,406. The cost of unsold affordable units is based in the interest paid by local authorities rather than the market rent and averages €5,725 per unit.

The cost per unit by unit size and year is set out in the following table:

Cost per year per unit type (excluding unsold affordable units)

Unit Type/ Year	1-bed €	2-Bed €	3-Bed and over €	Overall €
2010	6,605	7,231	7,359	7,040
2011	8,308	7,439	7,354	7,512

The current average length of the agreements, excluding unsold affordable units, is just under 11 years. All units in 2009 were unsold affordable units; in 2010 the average length of the agreements for all units except unsold affordables is just over 10 years, and in 2011 it is just over 11 years.

The breakdown by authority of the operational units is set out in the following table:

HA/Status	Operational
Athlone Town Council	17
Athy Town Council	21
Birr Town Council	4
Bray Town Council	1
Buncrana Town Council	26
Bundoran Town Council	1
Carlow County Council	17
Carlow Town Council	14
Cashel Town Council	1
Castlebar Town Council	20
Cavan County Council	3
Clare County Council	27
Clonmel Borough Council	14
Cork City Council	110
Cork County Council	314
DLR County Council	44
Donegal County Council	49
Drogheda Borough Council	4
Dublin City Council	470
Dundalk Town Council	66
Ennis Town Council	8
Fingal County Council	140
Galway City Council	123
Kildare County Council	88
Kilkenny County Council	28
Laois County Council	124
Letterkenny Town Council	32
Limerick County Council	13
Longford County Council	20
Louth County Council	24
Mayo County Council	16
Meath County Council	65
Monaghan County Council	1
Nenagh Town Council	24
North Tipperary County Council	7
Offaly County Council	37
Roscommon County Council	10
Sligo Borough Council	8
Sligo County Council	8
South Tipperary County Council	8
Sth Dublin County Council	276
Templemore Town Council	32
Thurles Town Council	6
Waterford City Council	13
Waterford County Council	48
Westmeath County Council	74
Westport Town Council	3
Wexford Borough Council	2
Wexford County Council	34
Wicklow County Council	1
Grand Total	2,496

The management of all 1,546 unsold affordable units is by voluntary bodies as are the 197 voluntary operational units. 421 units are managed by the local authority and the remainder are managed by the property owner on behalf of the local authority.