Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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7. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the estimated figures of Part V housing for 2018 and 2019; the estimated cost of this housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45284/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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As set out in Rebuilding Ireland, it is anticipated that 4,700 Part V units will be secured for social housing. Just under 1,700 of these units will be delivered in 2018 and 2019, with 590 expected in 2018 and 1,100 in 2019. The annual increasing delivery expectation of Part V is consistent with the pace of increasing private housing construction activity.

With regard to costs, the Planning and Development Acts set out the methodology for calculating the net monetary value of units under Part V agreements. Section 96(3)(d)(ii) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 sets out that the construction costs to be paid to the developer in respect of the construction of units are “the costs, including normal construction and development costs and profit on those costs, calculated at open market rates that would have been incurred by the planning authority had it retained an independent builder to undertake the works, including the appropriate share of any common development works, as agreed between the authority and the developer.” 

My Department supports local authorities and approved housing bodies to secure new social homes through the Part V mechanism using financial assistance from my Department under a variety of social housing financing programmes. In addition, some local authorities can acquire Part V units directly using their own funding and therefore, full details on such transactions would not be available to my Department. Given that the cost and output of units delivered through Part V is a matter in the first place for local authorities to agree with developers, local authorities welcome this flexibility in funding arrangements.

Overall, the funding earmarked for the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan is being increased from €5.35bn to over €6 billion. Part V is a critical component of that delivery and, according as decisions are made on the delivery mechanism to be used to fund Part V units in individual developments, the necessary funding will be made available to the relevant local authorities and approved housing bodies.