Written answers

Wednesday, 6 April 2016

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Social and Affordable Housing Data

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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780. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of social housing units built, by each local authority, in each of the past five years; the number of these now occupied; the number of social housing units which will be built in each of the years 2016 to 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6227/16]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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Information on social housing units constructed and acquired in respect of all local authorities and approved housing bodies and funded by direct capital investment by my Department, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: .

Data up to Quarter 3 of 2015 are currently published, including a breakdown across the different categories of delivery for all local authorities. Data for the full 2015 calendar year will be published shortly.

Overall, in excess of 13,000 social housing units have been delivered across all programmes in 2015. This represents an 86% increase on the 7,000 units delivered in 2014. Further ambitious targets have been set under the Social Housing Strategy 2020including for 2016, for which the target is to deliver 17,000 units.

Following from the substantial announcements for new social housing projects that I made in May 2015, in July 2015 and in January 2016, we now have a strong pipeline of new social housing construction, acquisition and turnkey approvals in place.  Between these three announcements, almost €680 million has been allocated for over 3,900 social housing new builds and acquisitions. Details of these approvals are available on my Department’s website at the following links:

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It is these projects that will form the vast majority of the social housing units to be constructed between now and 2018, as all projects must proceed through the planning process and this and other factors can have a direct impact on the timing for the advancement of construction projects.

In addition, a Public Private Partnership (PPP) social housing programme will deliver 1,500 social housing units with a capital value of €300million.  To enable delivery to commence as quickly as possible, the PPP programme is being rolled-out in three bundles. The first bundle of PPP sites - which is to provide over 500 units in the greater Dublin area - was announced in late 2015.  Site selection for the second bundle is currently being finalised.  A third bundle will be finalised by end of 2016.

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 Social Housing Strategy. 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.

To date, 149 units have been constructed by AHBs (31 in 2015 alone) and are available for social housing under long-term lease/availability agreements with local authorities and are being funded through SHCEP. In addition, funding approval for an additional 591 units to be constructed by AHBs is also in place. The majority of these units are expected to be constructed and made available for social housing by the end of 2017.

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