Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2017
717. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of social houses that he anticipates will finish construction between 10 October 2017 and the end of 2017; the estimated number of these that will be ready for occupation, by scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42659/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra718. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of social houses that have been built to date in 2017 and that are ready for occupation, by scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42660/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra719. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government further to the Taoiseach's recent statement and his own comments that 3,800 social houses would be built in 2018, the locations these houses will be built, by scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42661/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 717 to 719, inclusive, together.
My Department publishes comprehensive status reports on a quarterly basis of all social housing construction schemes for all local authority areas, showing details such as their locations and a range of information relating to their advancement.
The most recent of these reports covers the period up to the end of quarter 2 of 2017; it contains information on the almost 700 schemes or phases of schemes - delivering 11,000 new social homes - currently approved and progressing through planning, design, construction. It also contains details of the homes delivered in 2016 and to the end of quarter 2 of 2017. The report can be accessed at the following link: http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/social-housing-construction-projects-report-2017/.
Over 100 of the listed projects are complete, involving over 1,100 new homes, all of which I would expect local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to have tenanted by now. A further 160 schemes were on-site and under construction at the end of quarter 2 and which are delivering around 2,700 new homes. The precise timing for the advancement of each of these projects, including completion dates and tenanting, is a matter for the relevant local authorities and approved housing bodies. It will be these schemes that will form the basis for construction delivery between now and the end of 2017 and during 2018, when we are targeting the delivery of 3,800 newly built homes by local authorities and approved housing bodies under a range of different initiatives such as local authority construction, rapid delivery, regeneration programmes and construction and turnkey developments.
My Department also publishes statistics on the number of properties constructed by all local authorities and approved housing bodies for letting to those on their social housing waiting lists, which can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/housing/social-housing/social-and-affordble/overall-social-housing-provision. Information on quarter two of 2017 is currently being finalised and will be published shortly, with information on quarter three of 2017 to follow thereafter.
In Budget 2017, an increased investment of €1.3 billion was provided for housing, which is supporting the delivery of over 21,000 social housing solutions this year. Over 5,000 of these will be delivered through our capital programme of building, acquiring, refurbishing and leasing homes to be made available to those on our social housing waiting lists.
Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as they are developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing construction programmes as speedily as possible, and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.
