Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 May 2017
234. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there has been a change in policy in his Department with respect to the offering of rapid build and modular homes for long-term lease as opposed to short-term transitory accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23121/17]
View answerUnder the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, a Rapid-Build Housing Programme is being implemented, through which I expect in the region of 1,500 rapid-build units to be delivered by 2018. While this programme is being implemented, in the first instance, to mitigate the issues associated with using hotels as emergency accommodation for homeless families, the programme is also intended to expedite the supply of standard social housing. In this regard, the Office of Government Procurement has established a framework for the procurement of rapid build contractors to allow local authorities across the country to run quicker procurement competitions and advance rapid build projects to site more efficiently and effectively.
The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme made under Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011. Insofar as families being moved from hotels is concerned, I understand that the local authorities concerned are, where appropriate, providing accommodation under licence arrangements rather than through tenancies.
