Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 38: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the provision that has been made to re-house persons occupying unsold affordable housing units at the end of the five year leasing period; if it is intended that tenants would move to another property and re-enter the housing list; if so, the stage at which same would be carried out; if the unsold affordable housing unit would be automatically or potentially leased for another five years; if, in the event that they are re-leased, these properties will be designated as social housing for rental purposes on a permanent basis; the rationale of leasing unsold affordable housing units for five years and subsequently for another five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2463/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The social housing leasing initiative encompasses a number of different strands, one of which provides local authorities with the option to lease vacant and unsold affordable units to approved housing bodies, for a fixed period of five years, with the units concerned being made available to households eligible for social housing support.

At the end of the five year lease period, there will be a range of options available that will protect the interest of the tenants, while at the same time opening up new opportunities to pursue purchase options. In summary, the housing authority may -

(a) sell the units to the existing tenants under the new incremental purchase arrangements;

(b) sell the home as an affordable unit;

(c) extend the leasing arrangement for a further period of up to five years, or

(d) take the unit into its housing stock and continue to rent it to the household concerned, subject to having sufficient funding within its capital allocation and obtaining my Department's prior approval.

At the end of the lease period, if the unit is not sold to the tenant or taken into the social housing stock, it will be the responsibility of the housing authority to meet the ongoing social housing need of the household concerned.

The rationale for using unsold affordable units to accommodate social housing tenants in the short to medium term is to match existing vacant housing stock available to housing authorities with the housing needs of those in need of social housing support. In the wider context, it supports the objective of providing a flexible system of graduated housing supports using a 'lifecycle' approach to meeting housing need, in line with changes in this regard underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. These changes will provide for a more objective approach to determining housing need, with more regular assessments to help shape the social housing investment programme, to determine eligibility for social housing support, to identify special needs and to assess the relative priority of households to receive support.