Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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1167. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing co-operatives (details supplied); and the number of houses within each co-operative within each county in tabular form. [44906/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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A list of bodies that are registered as Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in accordance with Section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992 can be found on the Register of AHBs which is published on my Department's website at the following link:

.

The following 14 AHBs are identified as co-operatives:

- Belcarra Community Co-Operative Society Limited 

- Community Housing Co-Operative Cork Society Limited

- Connacht Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd

- Co-Operative Housing Ireland - formerly NABCO

- Dublin City Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd

- Dublin South Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd

- Fingal Co-Operative Housing Society

- Galway Co-Operative Housing Development Society Ltd

- Goodwill Housing Co-Operative Society Ltd C/O KVB

- Mallow Sugar Factory Housing Co-Op Society

- Munster Co-operative Housing Society Limited

- North Dublin Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd

- O'Cualann Co-Housing Alliance Ltd

- South Leinster Co-Operative Housing

AHBs can be limited companies, societies or trusts and are subject to the statutory provisions of Companies Acts/Friendly Societies and Industrial and Provident Societies Acts. In order to be approved, it is a requirement that the bodies’ memorandum and articles of association include provisions prohibiting the distribution of any surplus, profit, bonus or dividend to members and that the assets of the body be applied solely towards its objectives.  As such the majority of AHBs are charities and are subject to the Charities Act 2009.

The oversight of AHBs is currently conducted through the Voluntary Regulation Code (VRC) -  Building for the Future, A Voluntary Regulation Code for Approved Housing Bodies in Ireland. At present, 256 AHBs, covering some 95% of the social housing stock of Approved Housing Bodies, are signed up to the VRC which is overseen by the Interim Regulation Committee (IRC), based in the Housing Agency. Annual regulatory returns for the AHBs which are signed up to the Code are submitted to the Housing Agency's Regulation Office and compliance with the Code is a requirement for the receipt of funding for social housing. Four co-operatives are signed up to the Code and the information sought in relation to these co-operatives is set out below. The information is based on the 2017 annual regulatory returns. Legislation to provide for enhanced statutory regulation of the Approved Housing Body sector is due to be published by end-year.

Co-Operative Housing Ireland

Galway Co-Operative Housing Development Society Ltd

Belcarra Community Co-Operative SocietyLimited

O'Cualann Co-Housing Alliance Ltd