Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1375. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the reclassification of approved housing bodies; and the work being undertaken to remove approved housing bodies from the balance sheet. [36301/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, last April, 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 the majority of 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. The Department of Finance is now undertaking an analysis of the implications for General Government Expenditure and General Government Debt up to 2021. My Department continues to engage with the Department of Finance in relation to this work.

Following the completion of the initial analysis, which has defined the scope of the financial implications of this decision for the Exchequer, my Department also held discussions with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform 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 for Housing and Homelessness.

My Department is also engaging with the AHB sector and has had constructive discussions with representative bodies from the sector on the issue.  The sector itself has engaged its own research on the matter and my Department is evaluating that research, as part of its ongoing consideration of the issue.  I understand that the AHB representative bodies have indicated that they intend to submit further proposals to my Department concerning possible suggested ways forward. All proposals by the AHB sector and other relevant bodies will be evaluated and considered as part of this process as soon as they are submitted.

I remain fully committed to continuing to work with the AHB sector to assess the options available to create the necessary conditions to allow this classification decision to be revisited in the future.

As previously noted, the Government continues to see a central role for the voluntary housing sector in contributing to delivery of social housing under Rebuilding Ireland. It is committed to using all mechanisms and schemes, including through the AHB sector, to ensure that we maintain the momentum towards meeting the ambitious 50,000 social housing target under the Action Plan.