Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 12 December 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Update on Rebuilding Ireland: Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

Photo of Pat CaseyPat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I mentioned the off-balance sheet model, but I did not expand on it. The concern is looking ahead four or five years and the fact that any debt is part of the fiscal space. This morning we heard an announcement from Circle Voluntary Housing Association about a new public private partnership process in relation to the delivery of social housing and investment. I do not know the details of it. If, for example, each of the approved housing bodies, AHBs, received €100 million of private financing tomorrow morning, which is €1.4 million or €1.3 million, that would form part of the fiscal space. Are we then constrained by trying to deliver through the approved housing bodies?

I have two other comments to make. On the over 65s, and I know it is a very small figure, there is a trend here. We are seeing an increase, year on year. In the summary on social housing, there is also an increase in respect of the over 60s. It is now at 10%. Is this something we should be beginning to be slightly concerned about?

I will not get into the four stage process. I will leave it for another day.

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