Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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594. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the proposed working group examining the impact of the EUROSTAT reclassification of tier 3 AHBs to become part of the local government subsector has been established and met; his plans to engage with the AHB sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17858/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, last week the Minister for Finance published the Draft Stability Programme Update for 2018. This included an analysis of the financial impact of the Eurostat decision to reclassify Tier 3 Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) as part of the local government sector. This was an important first step in the Government's assessment as to the impact of the Eurostat decision.

Following the completion of this analysis, which has defined the scope of the financial implications of this decision for the Exchequer, officials from my Department will be engaging closely with my colleague, Minister Donohue's Departments to ensure that AHBs can continue to fulfil their full potential in the delivery of the targets set out in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan.

I expect a further meeting of officials from the three Departments to take place in the coming weeks. Discussions with representatives of the AHB sector will also continue on this and other matters related to the ongoing delivery of new homes within the Government's housing programmes.

As I have previously noted, the Government still sees a central role for the voluntary housing sector in contributing to delivery of social housing under Rebuilding Ireland. It intends to press ahead with the ambitious plans to use all mechanisms and schemes, including through the AHB sector, to ensure that we maintain our planned momentum towards meeting the 50,000 social housing target.