Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 December 2017
44. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if the local authority housing construction programme will be made more transparent; if he will include expected completion dates with all schemes which would result in clearly identifying the schemes that will be completed in 2018 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52192/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn publishing Social Housing Construction Status Reports, my Department is being transparent in relation to the status, at each quarter, of all approved social housing construction projects. The information provided includes details of each project, whether completed, on site, at procurement or at earlier stages of advancement.
With the funding made available in Budget 2018, the aim is to meet the housing needs of almost 25,500 households during 2018. Central to this delivery will be the construction of 3,800 new homes by local authorities and approved housing bodies, through direct build, turnkey developments, rapid delivery and regeneration programmes.
The Quarter 3, 2017 Social Housing Construction Status Report shows that at the end of September 2017, there were over 3,600 new homes on site and under construction and a further 2,000 new homes with approval to appoint contractors and move onto the construction phase. That latest status report is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://rebuildingireland.ie/news/housing-construction-report-q3/.
It will be these schemes that will form the basis for the delivery of the 3,800 homes targeted through new builds in 2018. 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 concerned, in the first instance. While delays can and do arise with individual projects, my Department, working with the local authorities and approved housing bodies, is ensuring that the necessary quantum of projects are in place to meet our 2018 construction delivery targets. Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as they are developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies and will also form part of the delivery for 2018 and beyond.
