Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

243. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the rules will be amended for the granting of the capital advance leasing facility, CALF, for approved housing bodies to include the provision of cost rental accommodation. [48534/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department offers a range of funding programmes to assist the voluntary sector with the delivery of social housing, including the Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF).  

The Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) was introduced in 2011 as a funding facility to assist AHBs access private finance to purchase or construct new social housing units in conjunction with Payment and Availability arrangements (P&A payment based on 92% of market rent). In the case of the acquisition or construction of apartment complexes and some housing units where there are service charges that would result in a net additional cost to the AHB, the availability payment may be set at up to 95% of market rent subject to approval.

CALF is a facility, which is exclusively available to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), to assist them in accessing private or Housing Finance Agency (HFA) finance for the purchase, construction or refurbishment of homes that will be made available for social housing purposes under long term availability agreements of up to 30 years. I have no plans to amend the uses for which CALF is made available to AHBs.

Cost rental makes up a very important element of housing systems in other cities but is a relatively new concept in Ireland. Therefore, in order to progress cost rental in Ireland, two cost rental pilot projects are being delivered on sites at Emmet Road, Inchicore, and at Enniskerry Road, Dundrum. The Emmet Road site can accommodate some 330 cost rental homes and the project is being delivered by Dublin City Council working with my Department. The Enniskerry Road site will deliver 50 cost rental homes and that project is a joint venture between two Approved Housing Bodies working with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Housing Agency.

Cost rental will initially be managed on an administrative basis and my Department is preparing a draft administrative cost rental scheme in collaboration with the Housing Agency and the local authorities involved in the pilot projects. With regard to the funding and financing arrangements, and delivery options, the Emmet Road project was financially appraised with the support of the National Development Finance Agency and my Department is in regular discussion with the European Investment Bank, leveraging the Bank's vast experience and knowledge in developing and supporting public housing projects in other Member States.  The invaluable learning from these pathfinder projects will inform further cost rental projects to be rolled out across other suitable sites. In this regard, it is open to local authorities to pursue cost rental on appropriate sites and I have encouraged them to examine this option.