Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2017
278. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to carry out value-for-money audits of State expenditure on housing voluntary and advocacy bodies in addition to existing annual audits of the sector by the Comptroller and Auditor General and his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47372/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment Departments undertake expenditure reviews over three-year cycles; the current cycle covers the period 2015-2017. The reviews may take the form of value for money reviews (VFMs), which are evaluations of major spending programmes, or focussed policy assessments (FPAs), which are smaller-scale exercises.
Departments commit to specific reviews in each cycle. In the current cycle, my Department is undertaking a value for money review on expenditure in the homelessness area and focussed policy assessments on housing adaptation grants and Met Éireann’s international subscriptions. The Met Éireann FPA is completed and published while the other reviews are underway.
The selection of a programme for a value for money review is informed by a number of criteria including the volume of expenditure (generally greater than €100 million); the relative impact of the programme area selected; and the availability of data. No decisions have yet been made in relation to the choice of programmes for review in the 2018-2020 cycle.
In addition to this cycle of expenditure reviews, the Local Government Audit Service (LGAS) of my Department carries out VFM studies on local authority operations with a view to identifying best practice and recommending ways of improving existing procedures, practices and systems, thereby promoting efficiency and cost effectiveness. In December 2015 the LGAS published a report on the oversight role of local authorities in the provision of social housing by Approved Housing Bodies under the main funding schemes.
In 2014, my Department established an interim Regulation Committee for the Approved Housing Body (AHB) Sector under the auspices of the Housing Agency, which, supported by a Regulation Office based within the Agency, oversees implementation of a voluntary regulation code (VRC) for AHBs. At present, 249 AHBs have signed up to the VRC accounting for more than 90% of the total estimated housing stock in the sector.
As part of any application for housing funding from my Department and local authorities, each AHB is required to furnish proof of compliance with the VRC. Only those AHBs that have undergone a satisfactory assessment as part of the annual assessment process by the Regulation Office are considered eligible for funding.
The Housing (Regulation of Registered Housing Providers) Bill and the underlying policy, which was formulated in consultation with the sector, intends to establish a Regulator to oversee the effective governance, financial management and performance of voluntary and co-operative housing bodies. My Department is working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to finalise the text of the Bill for publication during the current Oireachtas session. Until such time as the legislation is enacted and the statutory system of regulation is put in place, the interim regulatory arrangements in operation since 2014 will remain in operation.
