Written answers

Tuesday, 3 November 2015

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Local Authority Funding

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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1071. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government how much of the €57 million in funding which was allocated in March 2015 to Tipperary County Council has been used to reduce the housing waiting list in 2015; if the council is still on target to reduce the housing list by over 40% by 2017; the number of vacant social housing units in County Tipperary that have been refurbished this year, as a result of the allocated funding, in tabular form; the status of the proposed building projects in Gortnahoe, Cloughjordan, Templemore and Thurles in County Tipperary; details of the proposed 832 housing units in County Tipperary that have been bought or leased for the provision of social housing since the funding was announced on 31 March 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37885/15]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Targets and provisional funding allocations for social housing delivery under my Department’s main capital and current programmes were issued to all local authorities in April this year. These targets were issued in the context of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, which provides a comprehensive response to the need for social housing and targets the provision of over 110,000 social housing units to 2020, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme. The targets are for the period out to 2017 and the available funding is being invested in a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes by the local authorities, designed to accommodate 25% of those currently on the housing waiting lists. The target and provisional funding allocation in respect of Tipperary County Council was 832 units and €57.1 million; targets in respect of all local authorities are available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

When the targets were announced, it was indicated that the funding would support the refurbishment of vacant social housing units and support local authorities in both building and acquiring housing. Subsequently, I announced new social housing construction projects to the value of approximately half a billion euros, details of which are on my Department’s website at the following links:

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These included projects targeting 72 new units at a cost of over €10.5 million for Tipperary County Council at Gortnahoe, Cloughjordan, Templemore and Thurles. These are now being progressed through the various stages of planning and design by the Council.

With a target of 287 units under the Capital Programme of the Social Housing Strategyto the end of 2017, I am pleased that Tipperary County Council are projected to have 146 units delivered by the end of 2015, or over 50% of their capital target delivered just one year into a 3 year, capital-intensive programme of housing provision. This means that Tipperary County Council are well ahead of their capital target for delivery of social housing units with the funding I have provided.

To the end of September 2015, under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (previously known as the leasing initiative), Tipperary County Council has delivered 330 social housing units and drawn down over €4 million; this includes 31 units delivered in 2015 and over €80,000 in expenditure drawdown. It should be borne in mind that current expenditure is on-going for the length of the agreements entered into by the local authority. Expenditure under the Rental Accommodation Scheme by Tipperary County Council in 2015 exceeded €5 million up to the end of September, with a delivery of 74 transfers out of their target of 100. The Housing Assistance Payment scheme has been operational in Tipperary County Council since 29 June 2015 and to date, 115 households are being supported.

The detailed implementation of the programmes and projects to deliver on the targets that have been set is a matter for each individual local authority. However I am confident that by utilising all delivery mechanisms under these programmes, local authorities will continue to deliver on the social housing targets for 2015, in line with the Social Housing Strategy.

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