Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 July 2013
61. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of the social housing construction projects currently under way and the number of units that will be delivered and outline the timeframe, locations and cost. [33780/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn March 2013 I announced a capital provision of €275 million for allocation to 34 city and county councils in respect of a number of measures under my Department’s social housing investment programme, SHIP, for 2013.
The allocations included some €65 million for the local authority housing construction and acquisitions programme, some €40 million for the voluntary and co-operative housing construction and acquisitions programme, some €80 million for the construction of new homes and the refurbishment of existing properties under the national regeneration programme, some €15 million for the capital advance leasing facility and some €4 million in respect of Traveller-specific housing. Given the level of capital resources available, there is a shift away from the traditional local authority housing construction and acquisition programmes towards more flexible funding models.
In 2013, new social housing supply will be largely delivered through the social housing leasing initiative, the capital advance leasing facility and the rental accommodation scheme. The limited capital funding available is being targeted at the acquisition of built properties, including NAMA properties, the construction of new homes for people with specific categories of housing need and meeting general housing need in areas where the supply of properties for leasing is low. With a view to making optimum use of the capital funding available under the housing programme over the 2012-14 period, I announced funding of €100 million in July 2012 for a three-year housing construction and acquisition programme to deliver some 800 new units of social housing by the end of 2014. This includes a construction programme for 185 local authority houses and 111 houses for special needs accommodation for the voluntary sector. I propose to circulate in the Official Report tables identifying the projects included in the three-year programme and the regeneration and Traveller accommodation programmes.
The local authorities and approved housing bodies also augment their housing stock through targeted acquisitions programmes. Earlier this month, each city and county council was invited to submit proposals for the purchase of new permanent social housing units to meet specific identified housing needs, to be funded out of the capital provision for 2013. Local authorities were also invited to submit a programme of acquisitions by approved housing bodies, to be funded under the capital assistance scheme, which will facilitate people with a disability to live independently within communities. I will announce details of these acquisition programmes over the summer period. My Department supports a robust programme of social, economic and physical regeneration at six locations across the country, including Dublin city. Approximately 412 new units of accommodation will be delivered under construction contracts recently completed or under construction in 2013. The 2013 capital allocations to local authorities also include funding in respect of Traveller-specific accommodation as well as outstanding commitments on items such as final accounts, contingencies and retention sums on housing schemes completed prior to 2013.
As I have said previously, there seems to be an increased move towards the use of rent supplement and the rental accommodation scheme as part of the housing programme and a move away from the construction of more social housing. The local authorities are having problems. In the past, they used to buy back properties to house senior citizens and others. They used to be able to get financial contributions from such people. That is no longer happening. That avenue has been closed off to local authorities that are seeking to provide housing. The small amount of money that is being allocated for Traveller accommodation is inadequate. I believe we need to focus on building more social housing. The solutions offered by the rent supplement and rental accommodation schemes are temporary rather than permanent. They will not provide us with a long-term answer to the crisis we are facing. Almost 100,000 people are on housing waiting lists. Some 5,000 people are homeless. These figures are startling and are getting bigger. People on the mortgage to rent scheme are being put out of the places they are in because landlords want to sell their properties, or are under pressure to sell them. These people are ending up on the lists. While money is being provided, over the years there has been a hell of a big reduction in the amount of money put into capital projects. We need to be more realistic in our approach to how we are going to deliver more social housing.
We have addressed this issue many times. I am trying to do as much as I can under the various funding mechanisms we have at our disposal. There have been reductions in the housing capital budget in recent years. We are positioning ourselves to expand the construction programme as soon as the economy improves. As I have said, I am making a strong case under the various stimulus packages that are under consideration. In the meantime, we have to do whatever we can to provide housing for people. Yesterday, I launched a voluntary code for the approved housing bodies sector. The purpose of the code is to ensure the voluntary housing associations and the co-operative housing associations have proper governance and to facilitate them in raising money from banks, credit unions, pension funds and other sources. It is acknowledged that the sector has or will have the capacity to help to address housing need. In Britain, the voluntary housing sector is a significant provider of social housing. As not-for-profit organisations, the voluntary housing associations are set up for that purpose. That is one area where we want to see extra provision. Unfortunately, we will have to keep using all the various methods, including the private rented sector, which is much larger in other European countries than it is in Ireland. I want to ensure the sector is regulated in order that people can have as much security as possible in their homes, regardless of whom they are renting them from.
The time for this question has expired. We will come to this issue again under Other Questions. Perhaps Deputy Ellis can come in then.
