Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 July 2018
356. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of meetings he and his departmental officials have had with Dublin local authorities on utilising State-owned lands for building affordable and social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29859/18]
View answer357. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of meetings he and his departmental officials have had on utilising lands owned by local authorities in counties Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford for building affordable and social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29860/18]
View answer358. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he expects building of affordable and social houses on State-owned lands in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29861/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 356 to 358, inclusive, together.
My Department meets on an ongoing basis with all local authorities at a range of levels, both individually and collectively, to advance housing delivery. Such engagements cover, inter alia, progress on social housing and mixed-tenure projects, and the active management and utilisation of local authority and the wider public land bank, and they have been a feature of the work in this area for many years.
Notwithstanding this regular and structured interaction with local authorities, to add further impetus and drive to housing delivery on local authority and State lands, on 3 July, I held a Third Housing Summit with the Chief Executives of each local authority, including the four Dublin local authorities, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The development of the local authority land bank for social and affordable housing was a key theme at the summit and the Chief Executives participated actively on the issue.
Following on from the Summit, I announced a number of key outcomes and actions to further accelerate and increase the delivery of social and affordable housing. Details can be found at http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/statement-by-minister-murphy-following-the-third-housing-summit-with-local-authority-chief-executives/.
Moreover, a follow-up meeting between my Department and the local authority Directors of Service with responsibility for housing delivery, is planned to take place on 11 July to further build on the outcomes of the Summit.
I remain committed to working collaboratively with local authorities and I will continue to take the opportunity, when meeting with both local elected representatives and the respective executives, to emphasise the high priority that must be assigned to developing housing projects on publicly-owned lands.
I want to see local authorities realise new social and affordable homes from their lands without delay, with particular emphasis on prioritising those sites with the greatest potential to deliver housing at scale, in the short to medium term. Many local authorities already have well-developed plans for many of their sites. Supported by €6 billion in Exchequer funding under Rebuilding Ireland, significant progress is being made in ramping up the social housing programme. The most recent details of the social housing construction programme are published on the Rebuilding Ireland website and can be accessed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/?s=Q4+construction+status+report.
In order to support local authorities to get their sites ready for affordable housing, I am providing increased funding of €75 million for enabling infrastructure, via the Serviced Sites Fund. I have recently invited applications under the Fund.
