merrion street

Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, today said that the priorities in the housing budget for 2013 focus on the core themes of reform and protecting the most vulnerable.

"In keeping with other Government Departments savings have had to found in the housing budget to contribute to the overall Government goal of fulfilling our commitments and exiting the bailout programme. While that has involved tough choices I am determined that our focus in the coming year will remain on reform of the housing sector and protecting the most vulnerable."

The State’s capacity to meet housing need through capital construction and acquisition has been significantly reduced in recent years as outlined in the Medium Term Exchequer Framework for Infrastructure and Capital Investment and this will apply in 2013.

The housing budget provides a €310m allocation in current spending while €275m will be invested through capital expenditure in 2013.

Minister O’Sullivan estimates that in excess of 5,000 units will be provided for social housing in 2013. This will include:

• 350 units for people with special housing needs

• 150 units specifically for people leaving institutional care

• an additional 400 permanent homes delivered through capital expenditure under the Social Housing Investment Programme

• 300 transfers under the Mortgage to Rent Scheme

• some 4,000 units will be delivered under social leasing, including property transfers from NAMA, the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and mortgage to lease.

According to Minister O’Sullivan, "Additional funding secured will ensure an increased supply of social housing acquired through leasing in 2013. This will include the delivery of NAMA units, mortgage-to-rent agreements and transactions under the mortgage-to-lease initiative when that scheme is rolled out."

Initiatives also provided for in the 2013 estimate include €80m provided for the national regeneration programme, which is making real progress in transforming some of our most socially disadvantaged communities and the maintaining of homelessness services in line with expenditure in 2012.