Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Social housing is a key priority for the Government, as is evident in the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014. The strategy builds on the provisions contained in budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. Importantly, the strategy restores the State to a central role in the provision of social housing.

The total targeted provision of more than 110,000 social housing units through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the housing assistance payment and rental accommodation scheme will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet future demand. In committing to provide these 35,000 new social housing units at a projected cost of €3.8 billion, the strategy marks a fresh start for social housing in Ireland.

Over the six years of the strategy, I anticipate that the 35,000 units will be delivered as follows: 22,300 units to be built or acquired utilising both current and capital moneys, 11,000 units to be leased, and 2,300 units to be supplied through refurbishing and bringing back to use vacant local authority stock, which I confess is a bugbear for me. Under the relevant actions of the social housing strategy, national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority basis are to be agreed for each year. This work is already under way with local authorities in so far as 2015 is concerned and I expect it to be finalised next month. In 2015, I expect that 7,400 new social housing units will be provided, as follows: 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies, 3,000 units under the social housing leasing initiative, 1,000 vacant local authority units returned to use, and 2,000 new rental accommodation scheme units. In addition, a further 8,400 households will be assisted through the housing assistance payment.

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