Social and Affordable Housing Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2015

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Ceisteanna (577)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

577. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, per annum from 2015 to 2017, by county, the target and timeframe for the provision of social housing units; the number of new build; social housing leasing initiatives; local authority homes returned to use; and new rental accommodation scheme units; the total costs by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18366/15]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

Social housing is key priority for this Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for it in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014. The total targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, will address the needs of the circa 90,000 households on the housing waiting lists.

Social housing targets have been set for each local authority out to 2017 and are available on my Department’s website, along with the provisional funding allocations, at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41016,en.htm.

A further breakdown of these targets has been provided to the local authorities, details of which are as follows:

	Local Authority build and acquisition/ Approved Housing Body via the Capital Assistance Scheme/ Return of vacant properties		Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme		Rental Accommodation Scheme
Local Authority	2015/7	2015	2016/7	2015	2016/7
Carlow County Council	94	65	195	40	41
Cavan County Council	60	25	58	53	44
Clare County Council	124	75	215	57	58
Cork City Council	643	128	365	105	108
Cork County Council	401	170	494	75	77
DLR County Council	316	75	138	75	77
Donegal County Council	170	65	179	46	47
Dublin City Council	1498	425	1201	110	113
Fingal County Council	396	200	557	110	113
Galway City Council	136	90	251	20	21
Galway County Council	144	80	230	80	74
Kerry County Council	304	130	367	127	130
Kildare County Council	433	180	508	80	82
Kilkenny County Council	215	103	310	39	19
Laois County Council	158	35	145	15	13
Leitrim County Council	20	20	38	20	21
Limerick City and County	293	100	291	34	35
Longford County Council	34	35	79	30	32
Louth County Council	288	115	328	23	24
Mayo County Council	146	50	137	115	118
Meath County Council	134	75	209	50	51
Monaghan County Council	55	30	79	20	21
Offaly County Council	75	73	207	15	15
Roscommon County Council	25	15	3	55	54
Sligo County Council	101	20	48	65	67
Sth Dublin County Council	350	200	561	165	169
Tipperary County Council	287	90	252	100	103
Waterford City and County	164	120	336	69	71
Westmeath County Council	148	72	226	52	44
Wexford County Council	114	89	251	110	113
Wicklow County Council	156	50	142	45	45

Under capital funding provided by my Department, local authorities will build and acquire social housing units, will support approved housing bodies to provide units via the Capital Assistance Scheme for special needs situations and will support the return of vacant properties to productive use. I have already announced, on 5 May 2015, the first major social housing construction programme under the Social Housing Strategy. This announcement covers some 100 separate housing projects, to provide over 1,700 new social housing units across all 31 local authorities. Details are available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm.

In 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided, broken down as follows:

- 3,000 units under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme;

- 2,000 new Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) units;

- 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies; and

- 1,000 vacant local authority units will be returned to use.

Social Housing units under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) are delivered through:

- Local Authority units leased or rented;

- Approved Housing Body units constructed, acquired or leased; and

- NAMA special purpose vehicle owned units.

There is no specific breakdown of the individual local authority targets between these delivery mechanisms, however it is expected that 1,000 units from the 3,000 national SHCEP target will be delivered by Approved Housing Bodies in 2015. Each Local Authority is best placed to determine how best to meet their individual SHCEP targets using all the delivery mechanisms available to them and taking account of the housing circumstances in their area. Funding for the SHCEP and the Rental Accommodation Scheme is provided on a national basis without individual local authority (or approved housing body in the case of SHCEP) funding allocations.