Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 354 of 17 November 2020, the number of housing units leased in 2020 and to date in 2021 using the same tabular format; the average cost in 2020 and to date in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22992/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the number of homes delivered under the Social Housing Leasing Programme in 2020 are set out in Table 1 below.

Leasing delivery data for Q1 2021 is being collated at present and will be published on my Department's website as soon as that process is finalised.

The total expenditure for leasing in 2020, together with the average cost of a new unit in 2020, is set out in Table 2 below. There are some further claims due into my Department in respect of 2020 delivery.

Table 1: Leasing Delivery by Local Authority 2020

Table 2: Leasing Expenditure 2020

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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293. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a value for money evaluation has been carried out with respect to leasing of social housing; if so, if he will publish same; his plans to seek independent valuations in advance of entering into long-term lease arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22993/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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A spending review and analysis of capital and current expenditure on housing supports has been carried out by the Irish Government Economic & Evaluation Service (IGEES) staff within the Department of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, published in July 2018. This report focuses on the comparative analysis of delivery streams particularly related to cost effectiveness, including leasing. This report can be found at the following link:

This Report found that the net present cost (NPC) of delivery through leasing varies nationwide and can, in specific areas, be above or below the NPC of delivery through construction or acquisition. There are a number of factors to consider, along with cost, when considering whether leasing is good value in the long term for the State, such as the overall mix of delivery, the speed of delivery, the quality and appropriateness of the accommodation, sectoral capacity and flexibility, the availability of capital and the availability of land.

While the Government’s objective is to focus strongly on local authority led build activity, long-term leasing is an important option available to local authorities to supplement delivery and secure high quality social housing on a long-term basis. Lease payments are paid to the property owner based on a discounted market rent, with the level of discount reflecting the variation in maintenance and management responsibilities taken on by the owner. The maximum lease term is 25 years and rents are reviewed every 3 years linked to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).

The standard long-term leasing programme has been in operation for over 10 years and has a well-established assessment protocol. Local authorities have delegated sanction to lease up to four dwellings. All proposals to lease five or more dwellings must be submitted to my Department for approval. These proposals must be accompanied by an independent valuation of the market rent for the properties, carried out by, or commissioned and paid for by, the relevant local authority. The Enhanced Leasing Scheme was launched in 2018 and all potential proposals are submitted by the proposers to the Housing Agency for initial assessment and co-ordination with local authorities. The proposal is then submitted to my Department for approval. As with long-term leasing, all enhanced leasing proposals submitted to my Department must be accommpanied by an independent valuation of the market rent for the properties, carried out by, or commissioned and paid for by, the relevant local authority.