DEPARTMENT BRIEFS

Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage budget package of just under €6bn

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OʼBrien TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD, and Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan have announced a budget package for 2022 of just under €6bn. Key spending areas include:

• Capital housing funding of over €4bn as committed to in Housing for All: -€2.6bn Exchequer - €1.5bn LDA and HFA • Current housing funding of €1.4bn • 11,820 new homes will be added to the available supply of social housing through build, acquisition and leasing, with a focus on new build (9,000 homes) • Building on the commitments in Budget 2021 and the new schemes provided for in the

Affordable Housing Act 2021 and the Land Development Agency Act, €676m will support a package of measures to deliver more affordable housing, including 4,130 affordable purchase and cost rental homes • €194m to ensure those experiencing homelessness are supported and helped to successfully exit homelessness as well as c.€40m in the provision of health supports • €1.57bn investment in water services • €85m will facilitate energy efficiency improvements to social housing homes • €30m will enable 1,500 void homes to be remediated and brought back into use for letting to households on social housing waiting lists • €90m to facilitate up to 13,250 home adaptations thereby assisting people with disabilities and older people to continue to live in their own homes for longer • €159m for the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) • €225m contribution to the Local Government Fund • Heritage funding for 2022 will amount to €133.5m (a 36% increase) across capital and current contributing to the conservation of Irelandʼs heritage for present and future generations

Commenting following the announcement Minister OʼBrien said, “Government have stated loudly and clearly that the successful implementation of Housing for All is an absolute priority. The record level of investment provided for in Budget 2022, will ensure that Government can deliver on the commitments to provide affordable homes to purchase and rent, to deliver social homes all across our country and to ending homelessness by 2030. We are focused on tackling dereliction and vacancy while supporting a wide range of housing programmes.

Next year will see total funding of €5.5 billion in current and capital being made available for housing. €4 billion in capital broken down as €2.6bn exchequer and €1.5bn in Land Development Agency (LDA) and Housing Finance Agency (HFA) funding, as well as €1.4bn in current funding. This is the single biggest allocation for housing investment by any Government ever in a year.

Our commitment to supporting those experiencing homelessness, to helping them successfully exit into secure tenancies and to preventing people from entering homelessness in the first instance is evident in the increased funding of €194m for homeless services in 2022.

Funding of €676m will support a package of affordability measures, ensuring we deliver over 4,000 new affordable purchase and cost rental homes in 2022. Next year will be the first year in well over a decade that affordable homes are made available for purchase as well as the being the year that our new form of tenure, Cost Rental is significantly scaled up.

Along with housing there are many key budget provisions for my Department. The significant increase in funding for Irish Water, for example, is very welcome to ensure the provision of critical infrastructure which has knock-on effects on our supply of housing. We have also secured further increases in the areas of Planning, Local Government and Heritage,” concluded Minister OʼBrien.

Minister of State Burke added, “As Minister for Local Government, I am committed to strengthening the Local Government Sector and we will be making a contribution of €224.8m to support local authorities in their work in 2022. This represents an increase of €32.8m on core funding from the Local Government Fund in 2021.

In addition to these Budget 2022 measures, I want to highlight how this Government has continued its unprecedented support for the local government sector, with the provision of a commercial rates waiver once again during 2021. A nine month rates waiver for 2021, funded by Government, at a cost of €480m supported local businesses in payment of their rates bills, and ensured continuity of services at local authority level. This support has been in place since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, we are now committing to fund a more targeted rates waiver for the final three months of 2021. This will cover ratepayers in the hospitality sector such as hotels, restaurants and pubs as well as the arts and entertainment sector while ensuring our Local Authorities receive the full amount ordinarily due from these categories of businesses.

This, combined with the €840m provided by the Government in COVID related supports in 2020, brings the total level of support for the local government sector in 2020 and 2021 to €1.38bn

Supporting vulnerable households with their housing needs is of paramount importance to me as Minister with responsibility for accommodation for older persons, people with a disability and the traveller community. We are providing over €213m in dedicated funding in Budget 2022 to meet their needs.”

Minister of State Noonan concluded,

“I am delighted to have secured €133.5m for Heritage in this budget. The increases announced today recognise this Governmentʼs commitment to tackling the biodiversity emergency by investing in the protection, restoration and enhancement of nature. Iʼm particularly pleased that the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the single largest component of that allocation, will receive over €47m.

“This investment also recognises the value of the role our built and archaeological heritage plays in Irish life, with combined current and capital funding of almost €24m. This will aid its much needed protection, creating many thousands of daysʼ employment for skilled conservation specialists and tradespeople across hundreds of projects nationwide.

“Heritage funding reaches into every corner of the country, delivering benefits to our most precious habitats and most vulnerable species, supporting work to enhance our 87,000-hectare network of national parks and nature reserves, and providing financial assistance and employment opportunities to those who care for our natural, built and archaeological heritage.”

Minister OʼBrien welcomes Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority Statement of Strategy 2021 – 2024

Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) Statement of Strategy 2021 – 2024

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OʼBrien TD has welcomed the publication of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority Statement of Strategy.

The Strategy Statement covers the period 2021 to 2024 and outlines how the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) intend to deliver on their mandate over the next three years.

Commenting at the Departmentʼs Customs House offices, Minister OʼBrien said, “I am pleased to be launching this Strategy Statement which sets out the vision and mission of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority for the next three years. AHBRA will be an important element in support of our ambitious housing agenda, overseeing the effective governance, financial management and performance of all AHBs.”

The Strategy sets out five key strategic objectives which AHBRA will aim to achieve:

i. Reliable and efficient AHB Registration Framework. ii. Proportionate standards and compliance frameworks. iii. Transparent and consistent risk-based regulation. iv. Consistent and effective communication with our stakeholders. v. An agile, flexible and accountable organisation.

The Regulator has a number of functions, one of which is to draft standards against which AHBs can be assessed. The standards will cover matters relating to corporate governance; financial management and reporting; property and asset management; and tenancy management. Draft standards were published on AHBRAʼs website on 1 October 2021 and will remain there until 29 October 2021, allowing for representations to be made in accordance with the Act.

The Minister added, “the 28-day representation period taking place during October presents an important opportunity for stakeholders to get involved and have their say on what the standards should look like. AHBs make a vital contribution to the delivery of social housing across the country. Statutory regulation will provide further assurances to tenants, the public and potential investors that AHBs operate in a secure environment. AHBRA has an important role to play and I wish them every success as they move towards becoming operational in 2022.”