Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2015
620. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of the number of social housing units it is believed are needed to tackle the local authority waiting list; based on the type of unit, for example, one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom. [25057/15]
View answerThe Summary of Social Housing Assessments 2013 identified 89,872 households assessed by local housing authorities as being eligible and in need of some form of social housing support. The 2013 Summary results were analysed by the Housing Agency and on the basis of the certain assumptions and having regard to housing support mechanisms including the roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment, a requirement was identified for an additional 35,000 properties for social housing.
The Social Housing Strategy’s targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units to 2020, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand.
Local authorities are responsible for the detailed planning of social housing provision based on the needs of their areas. It is a matter for each local authority to identify the appropriate social housing initiatives and supports, as well as the types of units required to meet the social housing need in their respective functional areas and to bring forward specific proposals to meet the housing need in their areas.
On 5 May 2015, I announced funding of €312 million for the first tranche of the local authority direct-build social housing programme under the Strategy. This announcement covers some 100 separate housing projects, providing 1,700 units across all 31 local authorities and details are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm.
Further announcements of new unit delivery under the Capital Assistance Scheme and the broader social housing investment programmes will be made in the coming weeks and months.
