Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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73. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of proposals from each of the local authorities and from the Land Development Agency for housing developments, either social or affordable homes, that are awaiting approval from his Department; the aggregate number of homes involved; and the average turnaround time for approvals. [18518/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department administers a number of funding support schemes to support local authority delivery of social and affordable housing. Each scheme, depending on its objectives and delivery mechanism, has a process in place whereby local authorities secure approval for funding support for particular developments.

For affordable housing, the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) provides exchequer funding support to local authorities to allow the delivery of housing at affordable prices or rents on local authority lands or via advance purchase arrangements with developers for new housing on developer-owned land. As a new funding mechanism, replacing the Serviced Sites Fund, the AHF has been open for applications for funding from local authorities since 1st September 2021. Several funding applications have been made since then and, for those that have been approved, the average turnaround time was 8 weeks.

There are no applications for funding in respect of affordable housing to be delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) with my Department for approval at this time. There are currently seven applications to the Affordable Housing Fund from three Local Authorities with my Department for approval. The aggregate number of homes that are awaiting approval is 502 units. In general, applications would be expected to be turned around in 8 weeks.

In respect of social housing development applications from local authorities currently with the Department for approval, the information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.