Written answers

Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Approved Housing Bodies

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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380. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the estimated number of approved housing bodies, AHBs, that are understood to be continuing to operate and collect rents, but are not registered with the Approved Housing Body Regulatory Authority; to set out, in tabular form, a list of AHBs that have their entire housing stock 'out-of-mortgage' (i.e., where the mortgage term has expired); and the estimated number of AHB units that will become 'out-of-mortgage' for each year from 2023 to 2053. [42843/23]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 450 AHBs registered with AHBRA. My Department does not hold information on organisations that may have registered as AHBs in the past but are no longer on the register. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act makes it an offence for a person, other than an AHB as defined in the Act, to describe themselves as or hold themselves out to indicate that they are, an AHB.

Certain information on the operations of AHBs is collected by AHBRA as part of its annual monitoring programme. This information is published as part of its sectoral analysis report and the report for 2022 can be accessed on the AHBRA website at the following link: www.ahbregulator.ie/app/uploads/2023/05/AHBRA-Sectoral-Analysis.pdf According to the report, figures self-reported by AHBs indicate that 3,255 units are out of mortgage as at 31st December 2021.

In relation to units funded by my Department under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) and the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme (CLSS), the mortgages are held between the local authorities and the AHBs. My Department is not a party to these legal documents and accordingly, it does not hold the information requested on individual AHBs.

The AHB Unencumbered Units Working Group was established to consider the impact of AHB properties reaching the end of their mortgage/charge period or becoming ‘unencumbered’ and to look at the possible options on how to ensure the continued use of these units for social housing.

The report of the AHB Unencumbered Units Working Group will be published in the coming weeks.

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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381. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if, based on data collected as part of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority's monitoring survey conducted earlier in 2023 for its sectoral analysis 2021-2022, he will set out information (details supplied) in tabular form. [42844/23]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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One of the functions of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) is to collect and publish information (including statistical information) concerning AHBs as it considers necessary and appropriate. AHBRA conducted its first monitoring programme in September 2022, the results of which have been published in its first Sectoral Analysis on 8 May 2023, and is available on their website www.ahbregulator.ie/ahbra-publishes-its-first-annual-sectoral-analysis-report-for-the-ahb-sector/

AHBRA is an independent regulatory authority and my Department does not hold the statistical information requested. However, arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost-effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for AHBRA is: oireachtasqueries@ahbregulator.ie

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