Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2019
1005. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the extent to which funding earmarked for the provision of affordable or local authority houses has been spent under various headings in each of the past four years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24307/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraOver the course of Rebuilding Ireland, the Government is committed to meeting the housing needs of over 138,000 households. This will be achieved through blended delivery, with over 50,000 homes being delivered through build, acquisition and leasing programmes, and some 88,000 further households being supported through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). A social house building programme is well underway, with local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies significantly expanding new build output year on year.
The implementation of Rebuilding Ireland is a key Government priority supported by significant annual investment. The overall targets set in Rebuilding Ireland are consistently exceeded, satisfying the needs of more and more households each year. In 2019 alone, the housing needs of almost 27,400 households will be met, of which 10,000 will be new social housing homes delivered through build, acquisition and long term leasing programmes, with the remaining supports being delivered through HAP and RAS schemes.
Expenditure details in respect of the provision of social housing homes through build, acquisition and leasing programmes for the period 2016 to end May 2019 are set out in the following table.
|
Delivery Stream |
2016 Expenditure €m |
2017 Expenditure €m |
2018 Expenditure €m |
2019 Expenditure (to end May) €m |
Total €m |
|
Build, Acquisition & Lease |
462.09 |
802 |
1,268.84 |
330.5 |
2,863.43 |
The delivery of affordable housing remains a key priority for this Government. To support the delivery of 6,200 affordable homes, €310 million is being made available under the Serviced Site Fund, from 2019 to 2021, to facilitate the delivery of infrastructure on local authority sites. Last December, €43 million was approved under the Fund for 10 infrastructure projects in Dublin and Cork, which will deliver 1,400 affordable homes. Under the second Serviced Sites Fund call, 30 submissions have been received from 15 local authorities. These are currently being assessed, and I expect to issue approvals under this second call in the coming weeks.
In addition, approximately 2,350 affordable homes will be delivered on mainly publicly owned lands supported through the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund, while 5,600 further homes will benefit from a LIHAF-related cost reduction, some of which are already coming to market. Funding of €200 million is being provided under LIHAF, of which €150 million was made available via the Exchequer with local authorities matching up to €50 million. To date, €16 million in Exchequer funding has been drawn down and this reflects the fact that most projects have been going through the design and planning stages, with more now moving into the construction phase when the bulk of expenditure arises.
