Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2019
88. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he has met with either Cavan or Monaghan county councils to discuss social housing strategies; the housing targets for new builds in both counties for 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16160/19]
View answer91. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of houses acquired or purchased by Cavan and Monaghan county councils in each of the years 2013 to 2018 and to date in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16161/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 91 together.
I have met with all local authorities at senior level in relation to the advancement of social housing. In particular, I have held a number of Housing Summits with the local authority Chief Executives, including those from Cavan and Monaghan, the most recent of which was in February 2019.
Separately, both I and Minister of State English regularly visit individual local authorities to discuss progress on social housing. Minister English visited Monaghan County Council in November 2018, where he met the Chief Executive and the Council's housing team and visited a number of social housing projects. A similar engagement was held with Cavan County Council in May 2018.
With regard to social housing targets, I wrote to all local authorities, including Cavan and Monaghan, in March 2019, setting out their targets for this year across all delivery streams, including build. Details are available on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-targets-2019/.
An overall housing budget of almost €2.4 billion is available to support housing delivery in 2019 by local authorities and others against these targets. Both Minister English and I will continue, in 2019, to meet directly with local authorities on this important work.
Details of the number of houses that have been built and acquired by local authorities, including in counties Cavan and Monaghan, in each of the years 2013 to end-2018, are published and available on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision.
Similar details for 2019 will be published on a quarterly basis as the year progresses.
