Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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771. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the basis of his decision to fund the full purchase by a voluntary housing association of two new housing estates (details supplied) in Dublin 9 and Dublin 11, given his guidelines as set out in the publication, Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities (2007) and specifically section 3.3.2 thereof. [6058/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) have a key role to play in the provision of high quality sustainable social housing and this is recognised in the Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020. In this way, the Strategy recognises the record of steady achievement by AHBs over the past 20 years in providing in excess of 28,000 units of quality accommodation.

Under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP), my Department, together with local authorities, can support AHBs to construct, purchase or lease housing units and make them available for social housing. The housing units are secured under long-term leases/availability arrangements between local authorities and AHBs.

In addition, capital support is made available to AHBs through the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF), which provides an up-front capital payment of up to 30% of the relevant construction or acquisition cost of a project, facilitating AHBs in raising private finance, including from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA), to acquire or build new social housing units. The capital advance is repayable by the AHB to the local authority at the end of a payment and availability agreement, usually 30 years. All proposals for CALF are submitted to my Department by AHBs for review and to ensure that the project complies with the terms of the CALF and that there are sufficient funds available. The local authority is also required to examine the proposal and report to my Department that it is suitable to meet housing need in the local area; that the properties comply with relevant standards and regulatory requirements; and that the objectives of sustainable communities are being met (for example, that there is not already an over-concentration of social housing in the area). A detailed independent financial appraisal of the proposal is then conducted by the Housing Agency on my Department’s behalf, including a review of the acquisition or construction costs and details relating to the market rents and availability payments sought by the AHB, in order to ensure that the project is sustainable in the long-term and represents value for money.

Subject to my Department’s approval to the proposal, the local authority then enters into a Capital Advance Agreement (CAA) and a payment and availability agreement with the AHB concerned whereby the properties in question are provided for social housing support purposes for a specified period between 10 and 30 years. Monies paid by the local authority to the AHB for these units are recouped to the local authority from my Department.

The projects specifically referred to by the Deputy, both of which involve the acquisition of units by an AHB in new residential developments, were assessed by my Department and the relevant local authorities, including from the sustainable communities point of view. The relevant AHB has received approval for CALF assistance in both cases, subject to the normal terms and conditions of the scheme. I understand that the balance of loan finance required to meet the purchase price of the units is being acquired by the AHB from the HFA. The units secured in both developments represent good value for money and will provide secure high quality social housing for around 115 households, including many families currently living in emergency accommodation, in areas of high social housing demand.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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772. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status of the housing list (details supplied) in Kerry County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6060/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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My Department does not routinely collate the information sought on the number of, or reasons for, refusals by households of offers of social housing tenancies.

However, following my interaction with local authority Chief Executives, over the course of 2015, I requested feedback from them on the level of refusals of offers of social housing across the local authority system and the various reasons put forward for such refusals. Kerry County Council indicated that its refusal rate is 11.3% and the reasons given for refusals are generally location related.

In order to address the refusals issue on a sectoral basis, every local authority has been requested to consider the introduction of a Choice Based Letting (CBL) allocation system to allow social housing applicants to choose properties themselves from those available from the Council’s stock. This regime operates very effectively in some local authorities already. Local authority Chief Executives are currently considering the optimum approach to the introduction of CBL across the entire local authority system.

Information on the number of households currently on local authorities’ housing transfer lists is not held by my Department. The management of transfer lists is a matter for individual housing authorities and the numbers fluctuate continually as, for example, households are granted transfers in accordance with an authority’s allocation scheme to take up other accommodation options.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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773. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funding he will provide to Cavan County Council in respect of its housing programme for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6067/16]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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774. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funding he will provide to Monaghan County Council in respect of its housing programme for 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6068/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 773 and 774 together.

The Social Housing Strategy 2020targets the provision of over 110,000 new social housing units out to 2020, with 35,000 new units to be delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies, and 75,000 households to be supported mainly through the Housing Assistance Payment.

In April 2015, individual targets for the delivery of new social housing units out to 2017 under the Social Housing Strategy were set out for all local authorities in respect of the main building, buying and leasing schemes for social housing; further information is available at the following link: .

The targets issued included those for Monaghan County Council, with funding of €11.5 million available, and for Cavan County Council with funding of €12.5 million. To support these targets I have also announced substantial new social housing projects, details of which are available at the following links and include Counties Monaghan and Cavan:

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Given the targets that have issued out to 2017 and the new social housing projects I have sanctioned, the funding to be provided to both authorities in 2016 will be determined by the scale of advancement they make in respect of their projects.

My Department also supports local authorities under a range of specific exchequer-funded programmes to improve the quality and availability of social housing stock. These programmes include the return of vacant properties to productive use, improving the energy efficiency of social housing stock and providing funding towards the cost of adaptations and extensions to meet the needs of tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Allocations for 2016 in respect of these programmes will be formally notified to local authorities shortly and in the meantime, local authorities are progressing the implementation of these services.

My Department also provides funding for the adaptation of privately owned homes under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability. These grants have the objective of facilitating the continued independent occupancy of their own homes by older people and people with a disability by supporting necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works to make accommodation more suitable to the needs of such persons.  In February of this year, I announced details of the 2016 capital allocations for these grants, details of which are available on my Department’s website at the following link: .