Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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343. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware that Government-funded approved housing bodies (AHBs) are competing with potential owner occupiers to buy houses, and in Limerick analysis suggests that AHBs buy six out of every ten new homes, which is totally distorting the market; if there is a strategy in place to ensure a good mix in future housing developments, to allow owner occupiers purchase houses in new estates and to avoid the mistakes of the past, whereby there was often an over concentration of social housing in certain areas of Limerick and across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13109/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the delivery of the housing targets set under Housing for All rests with individual local authorities, which identify the social housing need in their administrative area and are best placed to make decisions on potential sites for development. It is therefore a matter for individual local authorities in conjunction with their AHB partners to identify suitable sites and bring forward proposals in line with the number and type of households on their housing lists and their social housing development policy.

Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) up to 100% Capital funding is provided to AHBs to provide new social homes for priority categories to include homeless, disability and age friendly housing.

Capital Asset Leasing Facility (CALF) funding is capital support provided to AHBs by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction, acquisition or refurbishment of new social housing units. This loan facility can support from 25% 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.

This delivery can be through direct construction, or in partnership with developers through 'turnkey' projects. It is a requirement that AHBs satisfy themselves that any turnkey acquisition by them, is not removing housing from the market that would otherwise be available to private purchasers, in particular to first-time buyers. All social housing projects must meet sustainable community objectives. Turnkeys are particularly appropriate when the housing would otherwise not be delivered but for the assurance of the AHB purchase to unlock the development.

In many cases turnkey arrangements are highly appropriate in terms of delivery timescale and cost, especially in situations where a local authority or AHB might have no land suitable for social or affordable homes. AHBs are often involved from inception and the houses would not be built without the involvement and funding the AHB receives from the local authority.