Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Government’s housing policy statement, published in June 2011, clearly identifies the priority for Government will be to meet the most acute needs of households applying for social housing support.

I am determined to ensure the social housing programme optimises the delivery of social housing and the return for the resources invested. To achieve this, it is essential to tailor the use of available Exchequer supports to prevailing conditions and explore the full range of solutions to address housing needs. The financial parameters within which the Government will continue to operate rule out a return to large-scale capital-funded construction programmes in the immediate future. Nonetheless, the Government is committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to social housing support needs through a variety of mechanisms, including through increased provision of social housing. In July 2012, I announced details of a three-year funding programme of €100 million to deliver approximately 800 new units of voluntary and local authority-owned social housing. In addition, budget 2014 provides for the allocation of a further €50 million to fund infrastructural investment primarily in the housing area. When this is taken into account, funding for housing for next year is effectively maintained at 2013 levels.

Delivery of social housing is also facilitated significantly through more flexible funding models such as the rental accommodation scheme and leasing but the Government continues to be committed to other funding mechanisms that will increase the supply of permanent new social housing. Such mechanisms include options to purchase, build to lease and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies for construction and acquisition. The Department and the Housing Agency also are engaged with NAMA to ensure continued delivery of housing units for social purposes. In spite of the current challenging circumstances, I expect the final output across all social housing programmes for 2013 to be approximately 5,000 new housing units and it is provisionally estimated that approximately 5,000 units will be provided for social housing in 2014.

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