AQO 1207/22-27

Mr Peter McReynolds
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 14/11/2024
Answered On Date: 26/11/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to outline how the Department will deliver up to 1,400 new build social homes in the 2024-2025 financial year given constraints in the wastewater infrastructure.

Answer:

Following confirmation of the extra budget for the Social Housing Development Programme in the October monitoring round, it will be for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, as the commissioning body for the Social Housing Development Programme, to assess how the additional budget may best be used to meet identified housing need before any final starts figure for 2024/25 can be confirmed or revised target set. I am advised that work on this is underway.

Deliverability of any additional social home schemes in this financial year will be a key consideration for the Housing Executive in their deliberations regarding additional budget.

In terms of social housing delivery, my Department has previously received confirmation from the Department for Infrastructure that when developments are already underway, with valid planning permission, and where sewerage/water planning conditions have been followed, NI Water is obliged to provide connections to the sewerage system and will endeavour to do so.