John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 496: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the funding provided by the private sector since 2000 by means of public-private partnerships for social and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14321/05]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has encouraged local authorities to undertake public private partnerships for the delivery of social and affordable housing, providing that this route offers value for money. Most of the contracts entered into to date are in the form of partnering arrangements with developers to deliver social and or affordable housing on local authority lands with private housing also being permitted as part of the arrangement. In the case of affordable housing, the arrangement can involve the sale of the land with conditions attached regarding the affordable housing to be provided.

As the mix of development can vary with some also including commercial or community facilities, information on the exact level of private funding is not obtained by the Department. Generally, these arrangements result in social and affordable housing being provided at much reduced or, in some instances, at no cost to the Exchequer and in an improved social mix. For example, the regeneration of Fatima Mansions is being pursued through a public private partnership arrangement involving the provision of 150 units of rented accommodation, 70 affordable units and approximately 300 private units. In this case, it is expected that the redevelopment will be Exchequer neutral on the basis that the land costs for the private units will fund the provision of social units as well as the provision of significant community facilities.

Public private partnership arrangements are being developed within the sector with other forms of public private partnerships likely to play a role in the future. These include swapping land for housing units as part of the implementation of the Sustaining Progress affordable housing initiative and the provision of accommodation through new rental accommodation scheme.