Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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356. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to develop a construction specific funding model for the AHB sector to allow the sector to increase its direct delivery capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68097/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates a number of funding programmes that assist local authorities to work in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to acquire and construct social and affordable housing units.

Certain AHBs within the sector have sought the introduction of a ‘construction-specific’ funding model to address alleged issues of viability, including but not limited to funding construction interest payments, as well as a mechanism to reflect the payment of management costs that are applicable on the date of completion of housing schemes.

In this regard, my Department operates the Payment and Availability - Capital Advance Leasing Facility (P&A-CALF) Funding Scheme, which provides finance to AHBs, via local authorities, for the acquisition, construction and maintenance of social housing units.

A project is currently underway within my Department to examine the overall financial impact of the P&A-CALF Funding Scheme on the main AHBs that have utilised the Scheme since its establishment in the year 2011. Indecon International Economic and Strategic Consultants have been appointed by my Department to assist in this research, and an element of Indecon's work is to examine whether a construction-specific funding model for AHBs should be developed to help mitigate the construction risk process and enhance construction viability for the AHB sector.

The consultants are due to report in April 2026, and I will further consider the merits or otherwise of a construction-specific funding model for the AHB sector when this work is to hand.