Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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1401. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of dwellings that have been acquired on long-term leases for social housing in 2017 and to date in 2018; the number of those dwellings that are apartment dwellings; the number that are house dwellings; the length of the long-term leases per unit of all dwellings acquired; if the cost is fixed at time of acquirement or is subject to increase or decreases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36606/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Government has set out an ambitious set of targets for the delivery of social housing in the period to 2021 in its Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan. A commitment to deliver 50,000 new social housing homes through a range of delivery mechanisms is being supported by a multi-annual Exchequer commitment totalling €6.5 billion over the period of the plan. These targets will be achieved using a combination of building, purchasing and leasing high quality properties to meet the needs of households on local authority waiting lists around the country.

Of the 50,000 social housing homes to be delivered under Rebuilding Ireland, 10,000 will be leased by local authorities and approved housing bodies under leasing arrangements from a range of different sources.

Data on social housing leasing, funded by my Department, in respect of all local authorities to end Q1 2018 is published on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.  Data in respect of Q2 2018 is currently being collated and will be available shortly. Data relating to property type, i.e. apartments/houses, is not collected by my Department.

In general, long-term lease arrangements are for terms of between 10 to 20 years in duration, giving local authorities access to properties on a long term basis and providing certainty and security for tenants.  All long term leasing contracts provide for periodic rent reviews. Reviews usually take place every 3 to 4 years, and are adjusted upwards or downwards in line with the rent setting mechanism set out in the lease agreement. In most cases, rent reviews are linked to changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Harmonised Index of the Consumer Price Index (HICP).