Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is €12 million for repair and lease. The previous year, there was €123 million on rent supplements, not from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, but from the Department of Social Protection. I assume that will be approximately the same amount because many people in emergency situations, such as victims of domestic violence, are on rent supplement. I totalled those up to come to €1.145 billion in rent supplements estimated for this year, if one takes that the figure for rent supplements from the Department of Social Protection will be similar. Added to that will be the €233 million for emergency accommodation in the budget. I think it is €233 million. One is looking at a figure in the region of €1.4 billion.

I do not want to labour on the general concern because it has been fleshed out here. I accept the Department has to implement Government policy, but one is looking at approximately €1.4 billion on subsidisation of private rental accommodation. We have to do so in the short term because people have to be housed. However, the concern is that, year on year, it has grown steadily. I recall very well when rent supplements were first brought in. It was a temporary interim measure until people got social housing or bought a house or an affordable house at the time. They were very good schemes. The concern here is that one is looking at a situation in which one is heading for €1.4 billion or €1.5 billion per year in rent supplement. I wanted to make that point.

There were 3,611 of the 10,300 houses scheduled for 2021 at the end of the first nine months. Those are the figures we got from the Department earlier on. What is the projection in terms of filling that gap? There is a gap of approximately 6,200 houses. What is the projection for quarter 4 in terms of social housing? How many social housing builds will we have at the end of 2021? What is the projection? I know the Department does not have the exact figure.