Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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222. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason he has not brought into effect Chapter 2 of Part 2 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 which places an obligation on each housing authority to make a housing service plan; the steps he will take to bring this section of the Act into effect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47327/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Housing Services Plans are provided for in sections 14 -18 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which has not been commenced.

Section 14 requires that each housing authority make a Housing Services Plan setting out the objectives which the housing authority considers to be reasonable and necessary for the provision of housing services having regard to the requirements of the housing strategy or strategies relating to housing supports for its administrative area.

The first plan would be made within a time set out by the Minister, subsequent plans would be made within six months of the making of the Development Plan.

Housing Services are defined as, among other things:

- social housing support;

- affordable housing;

- the granting of shared ownership leases under section 3 of the Act of 1992;

- the sale, or consent to the sale, of a dwelling under section 90(1)(b) of the Principal Act to a person other than another housing authority;

- loans made under section 11 of the Act of 1992 or section 25(1) of the Housing (Traveller accommodation) Act 1998;

- grants for works of improvement or adaptation to houses under section 5 of the Act of 1992;

- grants and other assistance for the provision of new houses or improvement works to houses under section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1979;

- services provided to homeless persons under section 10 of the Act of 1988;

- the provision of sites under section 57 of the Principal Act;

- the management, maintenance and refurbishment of any dwelling, building or land of which the housing authority is the owner or which is under its management and control. 

The provisions provide for the making of a Housing Services Plan in draft form first, its circulation to the Minister and other bodies (including AHBs and the HSE) for comments, the preparation of a report for the elected members by the Chief Executive and the adoption of the Plan by the members, with or without modification.

While these provisions have not yet been commenced, this has not acted as an impediment to the delivery of significantly increased and enhanced housing services by local authorities and AHBs, driven by the substantially increased resources and new initiatives under Rebuilding Ireland. However, I will be keeping the matter under review, particularly in the context of the setting of new social housing delivery targets for all local authorities for 2018 onwards.