Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2017
1259. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when the various local authorities were requested to make the necessary arrangements to provide for an accelerated housing programme; the degree to which action has been taking place as a result; if he has satisfied himself that the response to date is sufficient to meet the requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33657/17]
View answer1262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the local authorities in the greater Dublin area that are responding most positively to the need for an urgent response to the housing shortage in terms of local authority and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33660/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1259 and 1262 together.
There is continuing, regular contact between myself as Minister and my Department with the local authorities, including those in the Greater Dublin Area, covering all aspects of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, which is focused on increasing supply across all tenures. Direct contact between my Department and the local authorities focuses, in particular, on their housing delivery programmes, with quarterly meetings that address technical issues on projects and work to advance them to site as soon possible.
Local authorities generally are making clear progress in increasing and accelerating housing supply. This can be seen, for example, in the social housing construction programme, details of which are now published quarterly, with the latest report, as at end Quarter 1 2017, available at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/. Within the details of the over 600 social housing projects, involving the construction of over 10,000 new social homes, are details of the projects that the local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area are advancing. These include projects that are in design, planning or being tendered, those on site and some that are recently completed.
Acquisitions of new and second hand houses and apartments for those on the waiting lists is also part of the early response to the housing challenge and almost 2,000 such acquisitions were made nationally in 2016. More are being undertaken this year and the Greater Dublin Area is prominent in this activity. Further information in this regard is available at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/attachments/1c1-la-acq-by-area_5.xlsx.
Local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area are also utilising long-term leasing opportunities with private owners. In 2016, there were 1,832 new social homes provided in this way by the four Dublin local authorities, 177 in Kildare, 154 in Meath and 36 in Wicklow.
The rapid delivery programme is now progressing well and my Department is working with a broad range of local authorities, in the Greater Dublin Area and beyond, on using this approach where suitable. There are currently over 500 rapid delivery homes advancing through the planning design, procurement and construction stages, and work is underway to ensure that a further 500 units are advanced in the coming months, bringing the number of units in the programme to 1,000 by year end. An additional 500 units are targeted for delivery in 2018. The establishment of a framework of rapid delivery contractors by the Office of Government Procurement means that local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area and beyond can take advantage of this approach, allowing them to run quicker procurement competitions and advance rapid delivery projects to site more efficiently.
The publication in April 2017 of the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map will promote residential development on State lands as part of a new strategic approach to State land management. Opening up the supply of State land in this way, for social and mixed-tenure housing, is a critically important policy in addressing a situation where the pace of recovery in the housing development sector is slower than it needs to be to meet demand. In practical terms, the development of these sites will mean accelerating social housing delivery and securing more homes for sale and rent at more affordable price points. Two of the Dublin local authorities have already brought forward four key, large-scale sites, capable of delivering 3,000 new homes, and I expect other local authorities to follow suit.
