Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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176. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the average cost of leasing a private home back to the local authority on a 25-year lease in South Dublin County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11577/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments.

Long term lease arrangements, including the enhanced lease of privately owned dwellings, can be entered into by either local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) for periods of between 10 to 25 years.

The average lease cost will vary by local authority having regard to the location of the dwelling, size and property type. The average cost is calculated based on claims for operational new units submitted by local authorities and recorded on my Department’s SHCEP financial management system and does not necessarily represent the amount delivered in that period.

Up to the end of 2021, the average annual cost of a long-term lease for 25 years with South Dublin County Council was €17,679. This reflects the higher cost of units in the Dublin area as lease payments are linked to market rents and discounted appropriately. This data includes local authority direct leasing, enhanced leasing, and AHB private leasing.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Increasing the supply of social and affordable homes is a priority for this Government as shown clearly in our new Housing for All strategy. Following the launch of the strategy last September we issued social housing targets to all local authority Chief Executives for the 5 years 2022 to 2026. Of the national target of over 50,000 new social homes, I’m asking Carlow County Council to deliver 464 over those years, through their own projects and also working with the housing associations.

For the purpose of tracking social housing delivery, a Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) is published each quarter by my Department. This provides details of the individual social housing build projects in the programme of each local authority, including Carlow County Council.. It sets out the locations of the social housing schemes, the number of homes being delivered and the current status of the scheme, including those currently on site and under construction. The most recent CSR publication covers the period up to the end of Quarter 3 of 2021, and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/feea9-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q3-2021/. Information on Quarter 4 of 2021, will be available shortly and will be added to the published data. Further specific information on their build programmes will be available from the local authorities.

I'm keen that all local authorities progress their social housing schemes as quickly as possible. I want to acknowledge that Carlow County Council with the support of their public representatives, has delivered well against their social housing targets to date and also have a good pipeline of new projects in place. Under Housing for All, the funding is in place to support Carlow County Council and indeed all the Councils and the housing associations, to get these housing projects built.

The Affordable Housing Act 2021 established a basis for four new affordable housing measures, to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, (3) a First Home shared equity scheme and (4) expanding Part V planning requirements to increase the 10% contribution requirement to 20% and to apply it to cost rental, as well as social and affordable housing. The First Home shared equity scheme will be available nationally on a demand-led basis. This scheme will primarily support first-time buyers purchasing new homes through the private market. It is anticipated this scheme will be open for applications in the second half of this year. The national 2022 target delivery for the First Home Scheme is 1,750.

At a national level, 2,550 Affordable Purchase homes and 1,580 Cost Rental homes are targeted for delivery for 2022. Annual targets will increase incrementally in subsequent years.

Delivery of affordable housing will be underpinned by Local Authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Having reviewed the submitted Plans, my Department has held meetings with Local Authorities. The information shared in these meetings, and through a two-day Housing Summit held last week with all local authorities, will facilitate more informed target setting for each area. Updated Housing Delivery Action Plans will be published by the local authorities, including Carlow County Council, later this year.

Additional affordable housing delivery in Carlow will also happen through the expanded 20% Part V requirement.