Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

520. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide by county the target and timeframe for the provision of social housing units; the costs by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10069/15]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

543. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has received proposals from Louth County Council regarding social housing in the county; when he will make a decision on this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10383/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 520 and 543 together.

Under the relevant actions of the Social Housing Strategy 2020, national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis are to be agreed for each year. Action 1 of the Strategy requires the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis this year and in subsequent years. Action 4 of the Strategy requires the four Dublin local authorities to agree similar targets. Action 1 will be delivered by the Project Board while Action 4 is the responsibility of the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce. Both actions are to be delivered in quarter 1 2015.

To this end, my Department has written to each local authority, seeking delivery proposals, across all delivery mechanisms, for the years 2015 to 2017. The returns received are currently being examined.

With regard to overall national delivery targets for 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided, broken down as follows:

- 1,400 units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies;

- 3,000 units under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative;

- 1,000 vacant local authority units will be returned to use; and

- 2,000 new Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) units.

In addition, a further 8,400 households will be assisted through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Total housing provision for 2015 will result in an investment of almost €800 million across a range of programmes.

Over the two year period 2016 to 2017, I envisage some 13,500 additional new units will be provided, while a further 22,000 households will also be accommodated through HAP and RAS in that period. The precise details of the delivery will be agreed, on a local authority by local authority basis, in the coming weeks.