Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 November 2015
55. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of social housing units that will be delivered through the local authorities in each of the years 2015 to 2018, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37497/15]
View answerSince the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014 positive progress on the implementation of the measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing has been made. Delivery under the Strategy is envisaged under two phases. Phase 1 targets the delivery of 18,000 additional social housing units and 32,000 units through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)/Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) by end of 2017. Under Phase 2 which spans 2018 to 2020, 17,000 additional housing units are targeted as well as 43,000 HAP/RAS units.
Ambitious targets have been set for each local authority out to 2017 and these are available on my Department’s website, along with the associated provisional funding allocations, at the following link:http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41016,en.htm.
The targets set and the funding allocated are being invested in a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes by local authorities, designed to accommodate over 25% of those currently on the housing waiting list.
The Government’s commitment to delivery of social housing support is further evidenced by successive Budgets with over €1.7 billion in Exchequer and local authority self-funding allocated between 2015 and 2016.
Delivery by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies is being closely monitored by my Department. Minister of State Coffey and I also met with local authority Chief Executives and Directors of Housing recently to review progress in this regard. I am confident that by utilising all delivery mechanisms under current and capital expenditure programmes, local authorities will continue to deliver social housing targets in line with the provision set out in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Social Housing Strategy.
