Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 May 2018
269. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount his Department is projected to spend in each quarter of 2018 in local authority builds, approved housing body builds and acquisitions units under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, in tabular form. [19326/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraA total housing budget of €1.9 billion is provided for 2018, representing an increase of €500 million (36%) compared to 2017. This investment will see the housing needs of 25,500 households being met this year.
Through a capital expenditure provision of €1.14 billion, local authorities and approved housing bodies (AHBs) will deliver 5,900 homes through a combination of new build, including local authority and AHB new build, Part V, acquisitions and returning vacant social homes to productive use. It will also fund services in relation to regeneration and programmes to upgrade existing housing (energy efficiency improvements, adaptation grants, housing for travellers, pyrite, etc.) The balance of the funding will go towards meeting the needs of over 17,000 additional households to be supported through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) in 2018, as well as existing households already supported through those schemes, and will also fund housing supports and services in relation to homelessness.
In relation to the Deputy's specific query regarding projected spend on a quarterly basis, it is difficult to provide information to sub-programme level, given that it is affected by timing factors. However, given that my Department is working intensively with local authorities on an ongoing basis to accelerate the delivery of social homes and has been very clear with local authorities that funding is available to support this delivery, the pace of spend, albeit still somewhat weighed towards the second half of the year, is tending to be more evenly spaced over the course of the year. This is evident in the spend to date in 2018, with some €435 million, or 23% of the overall Budget, having been expended.
