I propose to take Questions Nos. 419, 430, 431, 447, 451, 459, 461, 462, 478, 495, 497 and 499 together.
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.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
Under Housing for All, there was provision for 200 social housing acquisitions each year. However, with increased pressures on housing and the exit of landlords from the market, my Department reinstated delegated sanction to local authorities in April 2022 to acquire social housing properties for a number of specific categories which included:
- One-bedroom units to deliver on Housing First and meet the short supply in this category;
- Other properties that allow persons/families to exit homelessness; and
- Specific housing required for/suitable for individuals with a disability or other particular priority needs;
For 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire up to 1,500 social homes and my Department will keep this number under review. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. A circular letter issued to all local authorities on 14 March, setting out details of these arrangements. I have requested local authority chief executives to be proactive in this area.
Local authorities have delegated sanction to deliver the 1,300 additional acquisitions, subject to those acquisitions being within Acquisition Cost Guidelines issued by the Department. However, my Department will also consider proposals for acquisitions where the cost exceeds the costs set out in the Guidelines.
The associated funding to support the delivery of additional homes through increased social housing acquisitions in 2023 will come from within the Department’s overall capital envelope assigned under the National Development Plan (NDP). Local authority acquisitions will be funded from within the Local Authority Housing budget with AHB acquisitions to be funded from the CALF and CAS budgets. The costs of delivering these acquisitions will be kept under review through 2023. No specific financial allocation has been made to individual local authorities. In relation to maintenance cost, the acquisition of the property will allow a local authority to collect differential rent on a property, which will support increased allocations to the maintenance budget of the local authority.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity in all local authorities, including information on social housing acquisitions. This data is available until the end of Quarter 3 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/ Data for Quarter 4 is currently being collated and will be published shortly. Data published to date does not include a breakdown of properties acquired where a tenant has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. For 2023, an amendment is being made to my Department's statistical returns to collect information in this regard.
The allocation of a property acquired by the local authority is a matter for the local authority under its own allocation scheme. The making of a scheme for the allocation of social housing, is a legal function of local authorities under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. Local authority schemes set out the order of priority for the allocation of dwellings and schemes will generally include provision for the allocation of dwellings to address homelessness. In this regard, it will also be a matter for a local authority to determine if the acquisition of a property will be appropriate to meet the housing need of a relevant household.