Written answers

Thursday, 14 April 2016

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Social and Affordable Housing Expenditure

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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754. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the expenditure on providing social housing through renting and leasing private rental accommodation from landlords and developers through the rental accommodation scheme, the housing assistance payment scheme, the social housing capital expenditure programme, the new Part V in 2015 and other schemes; the number of rented or leased units provided; and the average annual cost per unit per scheme. [6300/16]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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The information requested in relation to the cost of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) for 2015 is set out in the following table. These costs represent the value of the ongoing commitments in respect of existing units and the additional cost of units as they become operational within the year. The basis of the rental or availability payments made to property owners by local authorities and recouped by my Department and the underlying contractual arrangements under each of the three schemes, differ from each other.

Scheme 2015
Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) €15,643,829
Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SCHEP) €34,342,074
Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) €136,667,296

To date, some 8,800 households have been supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), which is being introduced on a phased pilot basis to local authorities since September 2014. A total of 5,680 households commenced HAP in 2015 over a phased period throughout the year, in addition to the 485 supported by the scheme in 2014. Using the total number of households at year end and the full cost of the scheme in 2015, the average annual cost per unit would be €2,537. However, this is not an accurate reflection of the average cost per unit when account is taken of the phased introduction of units over the course of the year. A better measure is the annualised cost of the average monthly rent paid to landlords in 2015, which is estimated as €6,804.

By the end of December 2015, a total number of 7,099 social housing units were supported and operational under SHCEP with 1,477 units becoming operational in 2015. This figure includes leased units sourced through Part V arrangements. Using the total number of units operational at year end and the full cost of the scheme in 2015, the average annual cost per unit would be €4,838. The annualised cost of the average monthly cost per unit under SHCEP in 2015 is estimated as €7,320.

From the commencement of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) in late 2005 to 31 December 2015, some 32,347 households have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS.  My Department does not hold information on the number of households in RAS at any given time. Numbers in RAS constantly vary as contracts end, tenants move on to other properties, landlords withdraw from the Scheme, new tenancies are allocated or vacancies in contracted units are filled. Financial returns from local authorities for the year 2015 are still being collated. However, there were 20,473 RAS tenancies in place on 1 January 2015, and on the basis of full year costs an estimated average annual cost per unit would be €6,675. The annualised cost of the average monthly rent paid to landlords in 2015 is estimated as €7,800.

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