Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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480. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 537 of 6 May 2015, if he will provide a breakdown of the length of the lease terms of the social housing units delivered, between 1 January 2015 and 1 May 2015, through the social housing current expenditure programme via local authority units, leased or rented, and approved housing body units, leased. [19397/15]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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481. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if social housing units delivered through the social housing current expenditure programme via local authority units, leased or rented, and approved housing body units, leased, are leased by local authorities and approved housing bodies on an ad hoc, unit by unit, basis, in response to individual housing needs, as they arise. [19398/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 480 and 481 together.

The Social Housing Strategy 2020, published in November 2014, sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. Under this Strategy a target of 3,000 units has been set for delivery in 2015 under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP). Within this overall target each individual Local Authority has a target for delivery under this Programme.

It is a matter for each Local Authority to determine the most appropriate mechanism for reaching their target under SHCEP. Under SHCEP, units can be acquired directly by Local Authorities through rental or leasing arrangements. They can also be sourced by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) through construction, purchase or leasing arrangements and can be leased by both AHBs and local authorities from the NAMA special purpose vehicle.

There is no specific breakdown of the individual local authority targets be tween these delivery mechanisms. However, it is expected that some 1,000 units of the 3,000 national SHCEP target will be delivered by Approved Housing Bodies in 2015. Each Local Authority is best placed to determine how best to meet their individual SHCEP targets using all the delivery mechanisms available to them, taking account of the particular housing circumstances in their area.

There are a wide variety of possible rental and lease terms available depending on the delivery mechanism used. Units acquired by local a uthorities through rental agreements are in general in place for up to 10 year s and under lease arrangements for up to 20 years. Arrangements put in place by AHBs range from a minimum of 10 years up to 30 years, with units delivered through the NAMA SPV (whether by a local authority or an AHB) having lease terms in place for just over 20 years.

To the end of April 2015, 406 units have been delivered for social housing purposes under SHCEP in 2015. Of that number 60% of the units have agreements for 20 years or more and a further 12% have agreements for between 10 and 20 years. The remainder have agreements in place for less than 10 years.