Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total number of voluntary housing organisations, the companies of which were in abeyance or struck off in the past ten years, the capital for which was provided for in its entirety through the capital allowance scheme; if in such cases the housing stock concerned reverted to the local authority as provided for under the scheme; if any specific action under the provisions of company law followed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5958/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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A total of 704 housing associations were approved by my Department under Section 6 of the Housing (scellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 for the provision and management of housing. In 2012 my Department identified 86 Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) that neither produced housing stock nor applied for funding. These companies were no longer registered with the Companies Registration Office and their approved status with my Department was rescinded. These bodies had neither received any funding from my Department nor had they acquired any housing stock.

My Department is now proceeding to examine the status of more than 100 additional bodies that also appear to be inactive and I expect to de-list further bodies in 2013 in order to present a more accurate picture of the size of the sector operating in Ireland.

The Government’s Housing Policy Statement, published in June 2011, identifies AHBs as key partner s in the delivery of social housing. This recognises both the constrained funding levels available for local authority construction programmes and the capacity and track record of the voluntary and co-operative housing sector.

AHBs are uniquely placed to help drive the achievement of the housing supply responses set out in the policy statement. However, the move from capital funded programmes of construction and acquisition by approved housing bodies to more revenue funded options present s challenges for them. As such, I am developing an enabling regulatory framework for the sector that will provide support and assurance both to the sector itself and to its external partners as it takes on the expanded role envisaged for it in the policy statement.

The development of a regulatory framework will take time. In the meantime, I am engaging with the sector on the development of a voluntary code which, I would hope, most approved housing bodies will sign up to over time. A public consultation process on the code took place in the latter part of 2012 and I intend to publish a final version of the code in the coming months.