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Approved Housing Bodies

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 March 2018

Thursday, 8 March 2018

Ceisteanna (646)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

646. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the annual grants that have been paid in each of the years 2015 to 2017 to approved housing bodies; the number of housing units involved with respect to each body in each year; the headings grants are paid under; the number of amalgamations that occurred in each of those years and the housing bodies involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11132/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The detailed information sought is not fully available in the format requested. My Department is compiling the information which will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A
There are a range of funding and delivery mechanisms available to local authorities to deliver social housing supports in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), i.e. through the Capital Assistance Scheme, the Capital Loans and Subsidy Scheme, the Communal Facilities Scheme, the Approved Housing Body Mortgage to Rent Scheme, the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme. The funding under these programmes is provided directly to local authorities who, in turn, advance the funding to AHBs, as appropriate. It should be noted that CALF is a loan that is fully repayable with interest by the AHB at the end of the agreed period.
The funding provided to AHBs and the number of units delivered each year over the period 2015 to 2017 is set out in the table below. The funding includes amounts which were self-funded by certain local authorities from surplus Local Property Tax receipts.
The number of units delivered in 2017 is provisional and subject to validation. It should also be noted that where social housing units are delivered through phased programmes, the actual delivery of units may not always arise in the same year as expenditure is incurred.

2015

2016

2017

Funding

€148.55m

€154.77m

€228.73m

Units Delivered

1,298

1,169

2,295 (provisional)

In addition to the units delivered above, the funding provided by my Department over the period in question also provided 5 communal facilities in housing schemes owned and managed by AHBs.
The oversight of AHBs is currently conducted through the Voluntary Regulation Code (VRC), Building for the Future, A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing Bodies in Ireland. At present, 250 AHBs are signed up to the VRC which is overseen by the Interim Regulation Committee (IRC), which is based in the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency. The Regulation Office has advised that it does not as a matter of course collect data in relation to amalgamations.
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