Written answers

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Housing Provision

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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311. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide the recently agreed social housing targets for each local authority with a sub breakdown of social housing new build, acquisition and long-term lease for each local authority in tabular form. [48155/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The recently published Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. The annual targets include the delivery of 88,400 new social homes and 53,800 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency (LDA) and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.

Individual targets for the delivery of social housing have been provided to each local authority and the breakdown by each local authority is provided at the following link. There will also be a limited number of social homes delivered through acquisitions, with current projections limiting acquisitions to 200 new social homes per annum.

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Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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312. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the breakdown, by local authority, of affordable purchase and affordable rental targets for each year from 2022 to 2025, in tabular form. [48156/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system, with an ambitious target of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing.

Measures to deliver this housing are supported by over €4 billion in funding annually, representing the highest ever level of Government investment in building social and affordable housing. 54,000 affordable homes interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.

The overall national delivery targets are set out in the Plan and were developed in partnership with the delivery partners. Delivery of affordable housing, in accordance with the schemes set out in the Affordable Housing Act, 2021 and the funding being made available, will be underpinned by the preparation by local authorities of Housing Delivery Action Plans.

Building on the national level work to date, under action 4.12 of Housing for All, local authorities will be submitting their Plans to me, to include social and affordable housing, before the end of December 2021. This will allow each Local Authority, to determine any affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment and plan provision accordingly.

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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313. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government , further to Parliamentary Question No. 280 of 21 September, the number of CREL funded cost-rental homes that will be purchased and made available for tenants in the first quarter of 2022; and the details of the location, unit size and costs of same. [48194/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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As stated in the reply to the Question referred to, the delivery of Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) homes is subject to construction schedules, which, together with housing projects more generally, were impacted by COVID delays at the start of this year. The initial timeframes submitted by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) were based on all efforts being made to deliver the homes as soon as possible. As AHBs sought to use CREL funding to allow developers to construct homes that may otherwise not have been delivered, the commencement of construction on these specific units was in most instances not possible until the lifting of relevant COVID restrictions.

Based on updated delivery timeframes from the relevant AHBs, the estimated additional Cost Rental homes that will be purchased and made available for tenanting by the end of the first quarter of 2022 will be c.170. These homes will be in addition to the first CREL-financed homes which have been delivered by the Clúid AHB at Taylor Hill, Balbriggan, and the 50 Cost Rental apartments due for completion shortly at Enniskerry Road, for which tenancy applications have already been accepted. The remaining homes will come on stream during 2022.

The necessary financial and commercial arrangements in relation to these CREL-financed projects are being completed by the AHBs concerned. When these arrangements are concluded, details of the other projects, including specific locations, housing typologies, and cost-covering rents, will be made public.

Just one year after coming in to office, this Government has introduced what is a brand new form of tenure in Cost Rental. It has placed Cost Rental on a statutory basis through the provisions of the Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever stand-alone affordable housing legislation in the State. It has established administrative provisions and provided the funds which has seen the first tenants already in long term and secure homes at up to 50% of the comparable market cost.

The Government recently confirmed plans to drastically increase delivery and its Housing for All Strategy is the most ambitious housing plan in the history of the State, backed up by an unprecedented financial commitment in excess of €4bn per annum. Over the period 2021 to 2030, it is intended that approximately 18,000 Cost Rental homes will be delivered by Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency. In building to this scale and an average of 2,000 Cost Rental Units per year, the State will provide certain focused funding supports to help delivery partners provide rental homes that target affordable rents at levels in the order of 25% below market rents.

Photo of Johnny MythenJohnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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314. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the average length of time spent on the social housing list in County Wexford; the plans to reduce the wait; the number on the social housing list for each of the past 12 months and each month of 2021 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48234/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).

The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 6,813 households or 9.9% on the last assessment in June 2019. Since 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 61,880, a reduction of 32.4%.

Below is the link to the summary report for 2020 which includes breakdowns by each local authority across a range of categories.

SSHA 2020 Reportwww.gov.ie/en/publication/970ea-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2020-key-findings/#:~:text=The%20Summary%20of%20Social%20Housing,is%20not%20currently%20being%20met.

In relation to the specific question posed by the Deputy regarding the average time spent on the housing list in County Wexford, information of this exact type is not held by my Department. However, details on the length of time spent on the record of qualified households (waiting lists), for each local authority can be found at tables 2.8 and A1.8 of the report, although it does not record data on a month by month basis in the manner sought.

It should also be noted that the SSHA is a point in time snapshot of the demand for social housing support in each local authority area and does not necessarily reflect the dynamic nature of entry to and exit from the housing waiting lists.

The recently published Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade, including an average of 10,000 social homes per annum from 2022-2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4b per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn in funding through the Housing Finance Agency.

Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Individual targets for the delivery of social housing have been provided to each local authority and under Housing for All, each local authority is required to develop a Housing Delivery Action Plan by December 2021. These plans will set out details on how and when local authorities will deliver their housing targets, including the delivery of affordable homes.

Additional funding will also be provided to support households on social housing waiting lists to secure a tenancy, supported by the Housing Assistance Payment, while we increase the supply of housing stock managed by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies.

Photo of Johnny MythenJohnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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315. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the target number of Housing First tenancies for County Wexford for 2021; the number of Housing First tenancies secured in County Wexford to date in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48235/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help them maintain their tenancies.

The National Implementation Plan for Housing First, published in September 2018, which puts the programme on a national footing, is designed to provide this response, by delivering permanent housing solutions and associated supports for rough sleepers and long-term users of emergency accommodation. It extends the delivery of Housing First nationally, with the introduction of targets for each local authority. The Plan includes an overall target of 663 tenancies in the period 2018-2021 with a target of 2 tenancies for county Wexford in 2021. The implementation of the Plan is a joint initiative of my Department, the Department of Health, the HSE and the local authorities.

Details on the number of Housing First tenancies are published every three months as part of my Department's Homeless Quarterly Progress Report, with the next report due for publication on 29 October 2021. The most recent report from the end of June 2021 shows that a total of 3 tenancies were created under the Housing First programme in county Wexford in the year to date.

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