Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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178. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of approved housing bodies in operation; the amount expended per annum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38271/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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As provided for in the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019, the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was formally established on 1 February 2021. AHBRA is an independent body tasked with providing the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies.

The register of AHBs previously managed by my Department was officially transferred to AHBRA on 1 January 2022. AHBRA is responsible for maintaining the register and for registering organisations as AHBs. The register is published on AHBRA's website, available here: . Currently, 439 organisations remain registered as AHBs.

There is a broad range of funding and delivery mechanisms available to local authorities to deliver social and affordable housing and related supports in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). The funding is primarily provided by my Department directly to local authorities, and to the Housing Agency in respect of the Cost Rental Equity Loan Scheme, who in turn release this funding to the AHBs in line with relevant funding scheme’s conditions.

Details on the funding provided to each individual AHB is not readily available within my Department. However, overall, for the last five years, over €3.4 billion was provided by my Department in respect of a range of AHB funded schemes as follows:

Additionally, in respect of homeless expenditure, financial reports from each of the homeless regions, setting out expenditure on homeless services are published on my Department’s website at the following link: