Social and Affordable Housing Funding

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 June 2018

Tuesday, 26 June 2018

Ceisteanna (576, 582, 585)

Darragh O'Brien

Ceist:

576. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the estimated first and full year cost of recommencing the 1999 affordable purchase scheme stood down in 2011. [27449/18]

Darragh O'Brien

Ceist:

582. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount spent on the affordable housing initiative through site grants and other departmental funding per annum since its inception from 1999 until its disestablishment; the number of units provided per annum through that period in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27567/18]

Darragh O'Brien

Ceist:

585. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount spent on the low cost housing sites initiative through site grants per annum since its inception from 1999 until its disestablishment; the number of sites provided per annum through that period in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27570/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government

I propose to take Questions Nos. 576, 582 and 585 together.

Data relating to activity under the Sale of Sites Scheme are available on my Department's website at the following web-link:

http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/affordable-housing/affordable-housing-and-part-v-statistics.

Data concerning activity under the Part V Scheme, the Shared Ownership Scheme, the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme and the Mortgage Allowance Scheme are also available on my Department's website and can be accessed at the following web-link:

http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/affordable-housing/affordable-housing-and-part-v-statistics.

Information regarding Exchequer funding for affordable housing is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

I have commenced the relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, the effect of which is to place a new scheme for affordable purchase on a statutory footing. It is intended that the income thresholds will be the same as for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, and other criteria will be set out in regulations. The elected members of each local authority will be responsible for determining the order of priority to be accorded to eligible households, in line with the framework of the national scheme.

To support the main local authorities concerned in getting their sites ready for affordable housing, I am redirecting the €50 million funding for phase 2 of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund to the Serviced Sites Fund, increasing the scale of the fund from the previously announced €25 million to €75 million, to cover the period to 2021. To drive activity, I will be inviting applications for funding under the Serviced Sites Fund later this week.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A

A number of different schemes operated under the broad term ‘affordable’ in the period to 2012. Data relating to activity under the Part V Scheme, the Shared Ownership Scheme, the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme and the Mortgage Allowance Scheme are available on my Department's website, and can be accessed at the following web-link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/affordable-housing/affordable-housing-and-part-v-statistics.

Data relating to activity under the Sale of Sites Scheme are also available on my Department's website at the following web-link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/statistics/social-and-affordable/other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics.

The following data are provided from 2005 onwards in order to align with the introduction of my Department’s current financial management system during 2004. Capital spending on affordable housing is shown in the table.

	Affordable Housing	Sale of Sites	Total
2005	€11,282,298	€1,406,025	€12,688,323
2006	€35,365,241	€710,906	€36,076,147
2007	€34,530,248	€686,795	€35,217,043
2008	€36,098,509	€2,394,176	€38,492,685
2009	€6,325,138	€613,335	€6,938,473
2010	€1,411,461	€496,524	€1,907,985
2011	€393,103	€105,435	€498,538
2012	0	€70,558	€70,558

   

Capital funding allowed for the provision of new houses by way of the Shared Ownership Scheme by local authorities under the 1999 Affordable Housing Scheme. In addition, it allowed for the payment of site subsidies in respect of housing provided by local authorities, and expenditure on the provision of low-cost sites for new houses. Low-cost sites were also provided by local authorities to voluntary housing bodies for the provision of special needs accommodation, and low-cost sites (developed or undeveloped) were similarly made available to certain eligible groups, including tenants of the local authority.

Details regarding the expenditure on affordable housing/shared ownership subsidies are set out below, encompassing the recoupment to local authorities of the mortgage subsidy payable under the Affordable Housing Scheme and the rent subsidy element of the Shared Ownership Scheme. Some local authorities, since 2015, have a requirement to self-fund housing services from surplus Local Property Tax (LPT) receipts.

	Total Exchequer    €	LPT Self-Funding €	Total    €
2005	4,031,244	n/a	4,031,244
2006	3,626,645	n/a	3,626,645
2007	5,290,572	n/a	5,290,572
2008	4,199,047	n/a	4,199,047
2009	3,823,623	n/a	3,823,623
2010	3,197,813	n/a	3,197,813
2011	5,623,623	n/a	5,623,623
2012	5,004,038	n/a	5,004,038
2013	4,994,437	n/a	4,994,437
2014	4,987,266	n/a	4,987,266
2015	3,303,403	902,768	4,206,171
2016	1,953,070	1,741,944	3,695,014
2017	2,969,173	451,217	3,420,390