Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 February 2017
205. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on an off balance sheet funding mechanism in relation to the supply of housing; the sources of the €5.3 billion fund aimed at delivering 470,000 social units by 2021; the number of these homes that have commenced construction; the number of homes that will be delivered by year end 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9104/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAction 2.4 of Rebuilding Ireland provides that the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) will work with the private sector to establish a funding vehicle capable of facilitating off-balance sheet investment in delivering social and private housing, through acquiring properties for onward long-term leasing to local authorities and approved housing bodies, and through activating new residential construction for the broader build-to-rent sector. Work on developing the new funding vehicle is underway within the NTMA. Potential models for the structure of the vehicle are currently being examined and developed. The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan will deliver 47,000 social housing units, through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing over the period to 2021. The Plan is supported by exchequer investment of €5.35 billion and a further €200 million is provided for the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund which will provide enabling infrastructure on key sites to open up lands for early development. The funding provision for specific Housing programmes on an annual basis will be finalised over the period of the Action Plan, as part of the annual Budgetary process.
On Monday last, I published a Social Housing Construction Projects Status Report, which lists all approved projects including those delivered in 2016 and those at various stages of advancement through planning, design and construction. This report can be seen at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/rebuilding_ireland_-_social_housing_construction_status_report_-_q4_2016.pdf.
It contains a range of information in relation to each separate social housing construction project, including the local authority area, project name, AHB name where applicable, the number of units and the status of each application in terms of its current level of advancement.
