Written answers

Thursday, 26 January 2023

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Housing Provision

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the review of the capital advance leasing facility scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3533/23]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All sets out national housing policy and implementation measures for the period to 2030. As part of the objective to increase social housing delivery, the plan recognises the significant role that Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) have played as partners in social housing delivery and will continue to play over the period of Housing For All.

The Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) funding model has worked very successfully for more than a decade. Under the Housing for All Action Plan Update, a specific objective, Action 4, is to “review the structure and operation of CALF to assess whether any refinements to the facility are required to support delivery of social housing by the AHB sector across a wider range of Local Authority areas, and to identify resulting actions for implementation.” The review was commenced in Q4 2021 and my Department has had the assistance and support of the Housing Agency during the review process.

One of the key purposes of this review was to consider the structure of the P&A-CALF funding model to determine if it should be adjusted to support delivery by the AHB sector across a wider range of areas and what options might be available to enable this. This is a recognition that the CALF model historically did not work well in areas with lower rental market values. The review is also cognisant of the significant rise in construction inflation and increases in interest rates so these aspects have been considered in the context of the recommendations for a revised funding model.

My Department, in conjunction with colleagues in the Housing Agency and relevant stakeholders, has now prepared a number of draft recommendations and a draft report on the CALF Review. I have considered these draft recommendations and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will shortly consider a request for sanction for the changes to the CALF Funding model. It is planned to implement the new methodology for the P&A-CALF funding model as soon as approval has been obtained. The implementation will be assisted by a Circular to guide the sector along with intensive stakeholder engagement to explain the changes and this will take place in Q1 2023.

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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97. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of new-build social homes that were delivered in 2022 in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3719/23]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. 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 and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.

Local authorities were provided with multi-annual social housing targets for the period 2022-2026. Mayo County Council had a target to deliver 90 social homes in 2022. Under Housing for All, all local authorities were details to develop Housing Delivery Action Plans to include details of social housing delivery for the period 2022-2026 Mayo County Council has published their action plan on their website and this outlines an ambitious social housing delivery programme in line with targets I have issued to the Council.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. Data for Quarter 4 is currently being collated so I do not have full details on Mayo delivery for 2022. I expect to that this data will be finalised and published in the coming weeks. The most recent Construction Status Report shows that at the end of Quarter 3 there were 120 social homes under construction in Mayo, across nine different schemes, and a further 224 homes across 19 schemes at various stages of the design and pre-tender stages.

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