1. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the delayed Department approvals for social and affordable housing. [24903/25]
Sentiment score: -0.08
Will the Minister update the House on the ongoing delay in approvals of social and affordable housing projects for local authorities and approved housing bodies? In particular, how many of the 3,000 units that got Cabinet funding approval on 18 February still have not been formally approved and notified to the local authorities and approved housing bodies? How many projects beyond the 3,000 are also delayed and awaiting approval in his Department?
Sentiment score: 0.09
The suggestion that what has been happening with the approvals for social and affordable housing at the end of last year and early this year is perfectly normal is simply not true. Either the Minister knows that and is refusing to address the question or he simply does not know what is going on in his Department. There is considerable frustration among local authorities, approved housing bodies and builders over the significant delay. Three thousand units were approved by the Cabinet in February but many of the related projects have not actually secured formal approval and notification has not been issued to the local authorities and approved housing bodies. I am talking to AHBs, large and small, and to builders. One builder in Dublin, who was halfway through building 50-plus apartments, had to close the site down because of an outstanding AHB CALF approval, the application having been last year. Can the Minister be honest with us and tell us how many of the 3,000 units have been subject to formal notification of approval? Are there more beyond those? We were hearing earlier this year that there could be as many as 5,000 units delayed. One assumes this is because of difficulties and disagreements between officials in the Minister’s Department and those in the Department of Finance and the Department of public expenditure and reform.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I am beginning to worry that the Minister does not understand what is actually happening in his Department. I urge him to talk to local authority directors of housing and the Irish Council for Social Housing. I will forward him the details on the individual schemes by way of email after this meeting. Typically, a decision on an application from an AHB – for example, for the capital advance leasing facility – will be made in six to eight weeks. There was a large number of applications at the start of this year that were three or four months awaiting a decision. The Minister brought a memorandum to the Cabinet that promised to unblock the 3,000 units, but I am hearing that about half of the approvals to approved housing bodies related to the AHB portion of the 3,000 units have yet to be subject to due diligence in the Department and notification to the AHBs. I am hearing of AHBs with CALF, CREL and CAS applications that have been in the system for many months, which is undermining their ability to start going through the pipeline and their ability in respect of builders and developers of their turnkeys. The position is similar with local authorities. In other counties, there are schemes or homes that are finished but empty because CALF, CREL or SHIP funding has not been approved. The homes cannot be acquired and people cannot move in. I urge the Minister to consider this again because what he is saying is simply not reflective of what I am hearing from local authorities, AHBs and builders.
Sentiment score: 0.03
4. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will reverse the decision to cut funding for social housing acquisitions, including housing first and the tenant in situ schemes. [24905/25]
Sentiment score: -0.09
I will let Thomas catch his breath. He has run across the city, fair play to him. I am surprised the Corkman did not get lost. In light of the very real concern among local authorities and councillors, TDs and Senators, from both Government and Opposition benches, about the impact of the Government's cuts to social housing acquisition funding, including tenant in situ and housing first, will the Minister give a commitment to revisit that decision and reverse the cut to ensure that local authorities have the funds to purchase homes to prevent people from becoming homeless and to allow people to get out of emergency accommodation more speedily?
Sentiment score: 0.27
With the greatest of respect to the Minister, what utter rubbish. When he notified local authorities of their allocations at the end of March, there was a sharp intake of breath, particularly in the large urban local authorities that have significant levels of homelessness. Not only was the capital allocation a substantial cut on what had been spent on acquisitions last year, but when the local authorities sift through the paused and delayed applications from 2024, closed or not closed, they are telling their elected members they have no money left. In Cork city, for example, communication to TDs and councillors has said that when they deal with the overhang for 2024, there is not a cent left for new acquisitions. Dublin city is the same. Fingal is in the same situation, as well as a number of other local authorities. They are telling the Minister and his fellow party members and our party members that they will not have funding for new acquisitions for 2025. He needs to listen to them, engage and reopen the funding. The consequence will be that in Cork city, Dublin city and elsewhere, more people will become homeless and more people will spend more time in emergency accommodation. That is what front-line local authority homeless service managers are telling us and the Government's backbenchers, councillors and Senators. The Minister needs to listen to them and reopen these funding arrangements to ensure that homelessness does not continue to increase.
Sentiment score: 0.14
Of course it would.
Sentiment score: 0.00
It is deeply disappointing that not only did the Minister fail to address the question but he also misrepresented Sinn Féin's policy. Let me set the record straight. In our alternative housing plan, we have made provision for 6,500 acquisitions over five years, 2,000 this year, reducing by 200 each year until 2029. That is because we make the assumption that demand for the scheme over five years will reduce. The Minister is providing no extra funding for acquisitions in the largest local authorities in this year. What he has allocated will deal just with last year's applications, and some of those applications will not now be processed because the Minister has changed the rules for tenant in situ and people who otherwise would have been prevented from becoming homeless will lose access to the scheme. My question is very simple. When Cork City Council says it has no money now for acquisitions applied for in 2025, will the Minister meet with the council, the councillors and the executive and discuss expanding the budget? When Dublin City Council finally works through its overhang from last year and confirms, just like Cork city has done, that there will be no money for new housing first acquisitions or tenant in situ acquisitions this year, will the Minister meet the councillors and the management and reopen the funding? If he does not, more people will become homeless. Misrepresenting Sinn Féin's policy is not a smart move when families' well-being is at risk because the Minister cut funding and they will become homeless as a consequence.
Sentiment score: -0.18
Two thousand acquisitions this year, 1,800 next year-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
Well, you should read it again because you are misrepresenting it, Minister - deliberately.
Sentiment score: 0.27
We are simply repeating what council officials are telling us. Is the Minister saying Cork County Council officials are lying?
Sentiment score: -0.26
They say the council no money for new acquisitions this year. Is the Minister saying that is not true?
Sentiment score: -0.31
That is a fundamentally dishonest way of presenting it-----
Sentiment score: -0.57
-----and misrepresents council officials as well as us.
Sentiment score: 0.27
It is bad form but no surprise, given that the Minister is trying to blame councils.
Sentiment score: -0.67