Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was quite clear about this both in my answer and in committee. We are about to announce an affordability scheme and it is being designed at the moment. I have met with bodies like Ó Cualann which have carried out affordability projects through running co-operative housing with local authorities, so as to see how we can draw up our own affordability scheme criteria. It is important to acknowledge here that we need to get the criteria right for accessing affordable homes. We are bringing back affordability. It had been stood down as part of social and affordable housing and we are now bringing it back. The most important thing is that the houses get built, and when they are built we will then have a scheme in place for every local authority to access. The allocation of €25 million announced in the budget is for 2018 and 2019 and will deliver at least 650 affordable homes using local authority sites. That is but the minimum of what we expect to deliver from that €25 million. I ask the Deputy to look at the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund, LIHAF, funding to date. Of the €200 million allocated under LIHAF 1, 30% of the sites involved will include affordability schemes that can be accessed under the new affordability criteria scheme when it is announced. LIHAF 2 will have the same provisions available to it.

With further regard to other sites, we do not limit local authorities in making arrangements for particular sites. If we look at what is going to be happening at O'Devaney Gardens, for example, additional affordability will be in place there, while an additional 15% of affordable housing is going to go up on the Poolbeg site. All these new homes will be affordable homes accessed by the new scheme which is currently being designed. The most important thing is that the homes are getting built. I hope to announce in the coming weeks the affordability scheme and the actual criteria for how it can be accessed. As I said before in committee, we are considering things like income limits as ways of deciding who would be eligible to get access for that scheme..

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