Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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398. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of sheltered housing complexes that have been supported or supplied by his Department over the past ten years which provided accommodation for the elderly and those with a mental or physical disability by year in tabular form; his plans for the future of these schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27001/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The main funding scheme under which my Department supports the delivery of sheltered type housing, is the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). Under this scheme, capital funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide housing for specific categories of housing need, with a particular focus on housing for older people, people with a disability, and people who are homeless. 

The number of houses delivered under CAS each year in each local authority area, can be seen on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: .

In addition to CAS, housing for older people or for people with disabilities may be delivered by local authorities by way of their own housing stock, through the development of new mobility friendly housing by the local authorities or by AHBs using my Department's Capital Advance Leasing Facilities scheme, statistics for which are also available on the same website.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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399. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if funding will be made available to make it viable to upgrade existing uninhabitable housing stock nationally for affordable accommodation purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27032/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is focused on ensuring that additional social, affordable and private housing is delivered and that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent including a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland.

 In terms of affordable housing for purchase, the statutory basis for the delivery of affordable housing for purchase in the State is Part 5 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which was commenced in June 2018. 

Under my Department's Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), €310 million has been allocated to provide infrastructure to support the delivery of more affordable new homes for purchase or rent in those areas where local authorities have identified and affordability challenge and the viability to deliver homes and below open market purchase prices.  Funding under the SSF is available for new-build homes on local authority land.  With a maximum of €50,000 funding available per home, at least 6,200 more affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be facilitated.  To date, Serviced Sites funding of €127 million has been approved in principle in support of 35 projects in 14 local authority areas, which will assist in the delivery of almost 3,200 affordable homes. 

 In relation to the rental sector, the Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to improving security and affordability for renters. To achieve that, we are developing a Cost Rental model for delivery of housing that creates affordability for tenants and a sustainable model for construction and management of homes. Cost Rental is housing where the rents charged cover the cost of delivering, managing, and maintaining the homes only. Cost Rental is not intended to overlap with or replace traditional social housing for low-income households.  

Work to outline the consistent and sustainable delivery of Cost Rental at scale is underway through an inter-departmental multi-agency Cost Rental Working Group, and is being assisted by an external research project sponsored by the European Investment Bank (EIB) on behalf of my Department. Furthermore, three initial Cost Rental projects are already being progressed, including 50 units at Enniskerry Road in Stepaside, that is currently under construction, while sites at Emmet Road, Inchicore (the former St Michael’s Estate) and Shanganagh Castle, Shankill, are at the design phase.  

In terms of affordable housing more generally, I will outline my detailed plans in the near future, taking account of progress to date under the SSF, experience from these Cost Rental pilots, a number of other measures, as well as the input of key delivery partners.