Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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269. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide a list of all stalled capital advance loan facility-funded social housing projects, indicating the local authority in which they are located and the number of homes involved in each location; the measures he intends to take to get these projects up and running; if he will ensure that other projects are not delayed due to excessive red tape imposed by his Department on social housing projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20294/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In recent years, the main source of funding to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for social housing delivery, is through borrowings and support from local authorities through the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and Payment and Availability (P&A) programme. The P&A-CALF model has shown itself to be an integral part of social housing delivery and has contributed significantly to social housing development since its introduction. The loan (capital advance) facility can support from 25% to 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project and it is repayable at the end of the term which can be up to 30 years. The balance of the investment required is borrowed separately by the AHB, and in the main, from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA). AHBs can only avail of this funding if they enter into a P&A agreement with the local authority for the same period, making the relevant properties available for social housing - providing accommodation for people on the relevant local authority’s waiting list, for the same period of time.

In March 2023, I announced changes to the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF). The changes addressed the challenges faced by the AHB sector in accessing sufficient income to build social houses, particularly in rural towns and villages. The new methodology for the P&A-CALF funding model was implemented in April 2023 and is now viable across all local authority areas.

As with all Exchequer-supported projects, my Department, as sanctioning authority, assesses each project proposal for suitability as determined by the local authority, value for money and compliance with the various requirements of the funding programme.

As of 1 May 2024 my Department has been made aware of a small number of projects which are on hold. A project submitted for CALF funding can be placed on hold for a myriad of reasons, it should be noted that none of these projects are on hold as a result of applications not being processed by my Department: