Update: Initiatives in relation to Local Authority Housing, 31st July 2015

 Question No.    11  
 
 
Chun an Aire Comhshaoil, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil:  
To the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government:                
 
 
 
To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which he has engaged directly with the various local authorities with a view to identifying the extent to which the various initiatives taken by Government are in the course of implementation in respect of local authority housing; if in view of the ever-increasing and urgent demand in respect of the number of applicants on local authority housing waiting lists and ongoing homelessness, he accepts the necessity for further measures to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter.  

– Bernard J. Durkan.  
 

 
For ORAL answer on Thursday, 16th July, 2015.  
 
Ref No: 28940/15
 

REPLY  

 
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Alan Kelly)  

 
 
Social housing is a key priority for the Government, evidenced by the additional €2.2 b  illion in funding announced      in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020  in November 2014. The total targeted provision under the Strategy is  110,000 social housing units  , which  inc  ludes the delivery of 35,000 additional  social housing units and the accommodation of up to 75,000 eligible low-income households primarily through the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.      
 
Targets for the delivery of units, under both the capital and current expenditure programmes  ,      have been set for each local authority out to 2017  . T  here has been significant engagement between my Department and local authorities i  n finalising these targets and th  at  engagement is continuing  as progress on delivery is achieve  d. Full details of the targets are available on my Department’s website  ,  the  web  link  for whi  ch will be circulated with the Official R  eport.  
   [  http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41016,en.htm  

]
 
On 5 May last, I announced €312 million of funding for the first phase of a direct build local authority construction programme, which will result in an additional 1,700 social housing units by 2017.   Further announcements on the delivery of new social housing projects will be made in the coming weeks and months.
 
With regard to direct engagement with local authorities,      I met personally with the  Chief Executives  of the local authorities  as recently as this week  to discuss progress o  n implementation of targets to date  .    In addition, my  Department has undertaken a number of information workshops and sem  inars on the Social Housing Strategy with  bo  th officials and Elected  Members      of local authorities  .      A  clear governance structure has been put in place  for the Social Housing Strategy to drive  delivery  ; I, along with my colleague Minister of State Paudie Coffey  ,  co-chair the overall Oversight Group for the Strategy and there is active participation by  senior officials from local authorities at all levels  in the governance arrangements for the Strategy more generally  .