Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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363. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the engagement his Department has had to date with Longford County Council and an approved housing body in relation to an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18136/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are making an important contribution to social housing delivery, as envisaged under current Government policy. My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with AHBs to construct, purchase and lease new homes and make them available for social housing. One such programme that AHBs progress construction projects through is the Capital Advance Loan Facility (CALF).

CALF funding is capital support provided to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction, acquisition or refurbishment of new social housing units. This loan facility can support up to 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project, with the housing units provided to local authorities for social housing use under long-term lease arrangements known as Payment and Availability Agreements. A nominal interest rate of 2% fixed per annum is charged by the local authority on the initial capital amount. Repayments on either the capital or interest are not required during the term of the loan (between 10 and 30 years), although where an AHB chooses to, repayments can be made during the term. At the end of the term, the outstanding capital amount plus the interest accrued, is owed and repayable to the local authority. The local authority issues the CALF monies to the AHB and the local authority, in turn, recoups same from the Department.

With regard to the specific project to which the Question refers, I can confirm that the project received conditional CALF funding approval in 2018. The most recent update from both the AHB and Local Authority is that they are currently working collaboratively to progress the project to Tender stage, which is anticipated shortly, with expected final delivery in 2023.

My Department publishes a quarterly Social Housing Construction Projects Status Report, which sets out the continuing progress being made in advancing the national local authority and AHB new-build pipeline. The latest report, setting out the position at end Q4 2021, can be accessed at the following weblink: www.gov.ie/en/publication/af746-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q4-2021/.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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364. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of persons from outside of the local authority area that were allocated social housing in Athlone, Mullingar, Moate and Kilbeggan, County Westmeath in 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18137/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not hold information on the allocations of the specific type requested by the Deputy.

The oversight and practical management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation and transfer of tenancies, is solely a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated regulations.

Section 22 of the Act requires local authorities to make an allocation scheme determining the order of priority to be accorded when allocating dwellings to households qualified for social housing support and to households approved for a transfer, the allocation of which would, in the opinion of the authority, meet the accommodation needs and requirements of the households.