Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Social Housing Strategy 2020 sets out clear, measurable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list with flexibility to meet future demand. The strategy has been backed up by successive budgets, including this year, where social housing has been an absolute priority. Budget 2015 included a provision of almost €800 million to support a significant expansion in social housing provision, with more than 15,900 new units to be provided this year. Budget 2016 builds on the investment with an Exchequer provision of almost €811 million.  In addition, local authorities will fund a range of housing services from their own resources to the value of over €112 million, bringing the total housing provision in 2016 to €923 million. The €4 billion strategy has been discussed numerous times in the House with regard to the targets in delivering 35,000 units through buying, building and leasing, with the balance of 75,000 to be delivered through the housing assistance payment, HAP, and the rental accommodation scheme, RAS.

The priority which this Government has shown to providing significant increases in the financial resources for social housing provides clear evidence of our commitment to make very substantial progress in addressing our social housing challenge. So far this year, this has allowed me to announce approximately €500 million in capital funding for local authority and approved housing body projects and I expect to make further announcements in the coming days and weeks. These projects will contribute to delivery in 2016 and when taken together with the broader range of housing programmes, I expect that over 17,000 housing units will be provided next year. In addition, preparatory work will continue in 2016 on further new innovative projects, such as advancing the provision of 500 new social housing units through a public-private partnership programme and an affordable housing pilot scheme. There are in excess of 200 sites at this time currently seeing construction for social housing projects.

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