Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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220. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on whether the high level of current expenditure in his Department via the housing assistance payment, the rental accommodation scheme and leasing needs to be replaced by capital expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31411/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Increasing the supply of public, social and affordable homes is priority for this Government and the Programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver 50,000 new social homes with a specific focus on new build.

The Government’s commitment to increase the supply of public housing is further underpinned by the 2021 Budget which provides €3.3 billion to deliver housing programmes this year, and includes over €2 billion in capital funding.  Subject to the impact of COVID-19 on delivery, this funding will support the delivery of 12,750 new social homes, of which 9,500 are new build homes. 

While the primary focus continues to be new build social homes, it is also important that local authorities have a range of accommodation types in all areas where social housing need arises.  The provision of additional HAP and RAS supported tenancies, along with homes delivered through leasing, do not undermine other delivery schemes, it simply acknowledges the demand that is there and confirms the readiness to respond in an immediate way to households who find themselves in need of support for housing.

The Government’s new housing strategy, Housing for All, will be published shortly and will set out the policy for the next five years and include annual targets for the delivery of social and affordable homes.