Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

5. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the timeframe for the implementation of the recommendations of the approved housing bodies strategic forum report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65673/25]

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Will the Minister outline a timeline for the implementation of the recommendations of the AHB strategic forum report? I ask him this in particular in relation to the gearing issue that is there and in relation to moving the AHB sector towards a sustainable delivery model. There is a real lack of clarity in the Minister's new housing plan on exactly how the Government will deliver its targets. How many direct-build social homes will be delivered under the new housing plan?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Report of the Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum presents an ambitious and transformative vision for the AHB sector and sets out a detailed roadmap of policy development reforms to enable the realisation of that vision over the years ahead. The forum, which was established in December 2023, undertook a comprehensive review of the AHB sector and concluded its structured engagements and analysis at the end of 2024. These included a series of national workshops involving over 150 participants, broad stakeholder consultations and targeted research into not-for-profit housing association models in four peer European jurisdictions. The work also drew on the relevant recommendations of the Housing Commission and the priorities outlined in the programme for Government relevant to the AHB sector. This report represents the most detailed examination of the AHB sector ever conducted by the State.

While the vision sets out the reform of the sector over the next decade, officials in my Department have been continually progressing policies to strengthen the sector since I came into office. Work is already under way on several policy development reforms outlined within the Report of the Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum, as committed to in the national housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030. Furthermore, my Department will shortly establish a sectoral reform working group, involving key stakeholders, which will be tasked with progressing work on the more transformational policy development recommendations throughout the period of the national housing plan. Upon the conclusion of this intensive scoping and investigation phase, I will present regular policy development reports to the Government for consideration, outlining the feasibility, impacts and proposed implementation plan for the key structural recommendations. I am committed to advancing a sectoral reform programme that will enhance the positive impact of AHBs, address immediate sectoral challenges and support the transformation towards a more resilient, effective and efficient sector.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

We know that AHBs are crucial if we are to have any hope of meeting our housing targets, particularly in terms of social housing delivery, but we also know they are approaching the limit of their borrowing capacity. A workable solution has been proposed by replacing the CALF loan element of AHB social housing with a Government-backed CALF equity grant support. It is the same level of funding as a grant equity but not as a loan. When will this be done by the Department? When the Minister appeared at the housing committee a number of weeks ago, he said that his Department had subsequently engaged with the Department of public expenditure and reform on the sanction request and that that Department would like to consider the sanction request in light of the report of the strategic forum. The report has now been finalised and published, so when will this be carried out?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister was in before the committee, but, more specifically, as the report has now been published, the Minister has established a special working sectoral group in this area. There were eight interlinked policy developments. The Deputy has referred to some of them. We want to get the AHBs to go more towards direct delivery to examine the reformed income model for the AHB social housing revolving fund, establishing an AHB sector restructuring sustainable fund and then capital funding to support more sustainability for larger AHBs. That is the area the Deputy is talking about - gearing, direct delivery and reclassification. The big issue here is that the Minister has done a body of work and wants to work with the sectoral group and, specifically, to look at the particular issue in terms of that gearing aspect. As the Deputy is probably aware, in terms of some of the larger AHBs, there is a body of work under way with the UCD Geary Institute and the Housing Alliance. They have allowed potential pathways in terms of the reclassification of some larger AHBs.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Minister of State for that response. We really need to see action on this from the Government. The gearing and debt levels within some larger AHBs need to be addressed because they are basically putting our capacity to deliver housing at risk.

Specifically, in relation to the recommendation of moving the AHB sector away from turnkey and towards direct delivery, there is a distinct lack of clarity on how the Government will deliver its 72,000 target, which is too low anyway because it does not take in the inbuilt deficit from the Housing Commission.

How many out of the 72,000 will be direct-build social homes?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

More specifically on the issue the Deputy has raised about turnkey developments, there is a process being initiated at the moment towards a call for proposals. Through the Department but particularly the local authorities, the State will define the location, the typology and tenure of housing needed as well as specifications and value parameters for any of the scheme proposals. The AHB proposals are aligned with our local authority housing delivery actions. This is about the AHBs getting more into direct build in that space. The other impact of that is that the issue, which has arisen with some people, of competing first-time buyers will be reduced. More particularly, we want to deliver 72,000 units over that period of time. Included in that is that we want the local authorities themselves to get into that self-build area more. If they exceed targets, there will be further funding coming to local authorities for other purposes.