Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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227. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he will announce an affordable housing scheme for those unable to purchase their own homes. [47546/18]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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229. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason for the delay in establishing the promised affordable housing scheme; and when full details will be issued to local authorities in relation to same. [47568/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 229 together.

I commenced the relevant provisions of Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 to provide a statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing for purchase on local authority sites. Part 5 contains significant detail on the procedures and operation of the new affordable purchase Scheme and it will be supported by associated Regulations and Guidance, which are close to finalisation following extensive consultation between my Department, the Housing Agency and local authorities. Last week, my Department hosted a workshop for all local authorities on affordable housing and local authority land activation issues.

In order to deliver affordable homes, in the areas of the country most affected by a lack of affordable housing supply, the Government has committed €310 million, over the 2019-2021 period under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF). It will fund key facilitating infrastructure, on local authority sites, to support the provision of affordable homes to purchase or rent.

All local authorities are currently undertaking economic assessments of the requirement for affordable housing in their areas and the viability to deliver such affordable housing from their sites. A second call for proposals under the Serviced Site Fund will be made as soon as is practicable and the scope of that call will be influenced by the information received from local authorities, as part of the aforementioned economic assessments, which they have been requested to submit by 30 November.