Deputy Bannon warns that the Regulation of the Social Housing Sector will not be easy

Fine Gael TD, for Longford Westmeath, James Bannon, speaking at the Joint committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht has said that given the complex nature of providing, and managing dwelling units for social housing purposes, it must be questioned whether the fragmented voluntary housing sector can be regulated effectively and efficiently.

“The housing association sector manages over 27,000 homes and has been growing significantly over the past 10 years.  Housing associations traditionally played a complementary role to local authorities; however the Government Housing Policy statement now places the sector at the heart of the Government’s vision for housing provision. The sector is now a main provider of social housing in Longford/Westmeath.

“However, the housing associations vary greatly in size (from fewer than 20 units to over 3,000). There are large, professionally staffed organisations and small providers, generally outside of urban areas that manage small numbers of units.

“Housing associations are independent not-for-profit organisations that provide rented housing for people who cannot afford to buy or rent in the private market. I will consider the management and operation of housing associations in Longford/Westmeath in greater detail, and I believe that we need to address the governance and regulation for housing associations. Unlike other jurisdictions, voluntary social housing remains unregulated in Ireland.

“Voluntary Housing Association housing differs from local authority housing by providing for people with particular needs as well as more general low income households and the provision of additional services. They may require more from tenants regarding upkeep and their properties are not available for tenants to buy.