Since the launch of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 and continuing with the publication last year of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, a substantial pipeline of new social housing construction projects has now been created that has reversed the position of previous years, when local authorities and AHBs had seen much reduced activity in this area.
All of these projects are now at various stages of advancement in respect of planning, design, construction, etc. This work by local authorities and AHBs runs in parallel with the 4-stage approval process; updated details of the stage of individual projects within the approval process will be finalised and published in conjunction with the Q4 2016 Rebuilding Ireland progress report. I am keen that all of the projects involved are advanced as quickly as possible and I have assured the local authorities that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard.
On completion of units through whatever delivery means, their final tenanting is then a matter for the local authorities directly. However, I am keen that in all cases there should be no undue delay between the completion of units and completion of the tenanting process.