Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 64 together.

The elected members of a local authority have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of an authority, which includes adopting the annual budget, and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the authority. As such, it is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.

In terms of funding, the social housing element of Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness proposes a significantly increased level of ambition, aiming for the delivery of 47,000 social housing units through build, refurbishment, acquisitions and leasing, over the period 2016 to 2021, supported by Exchequer investment of some €5.35 billion. A further €200 million is being provided through the local infrastructure housing activation fund.

In addition, Rebuilding Ireland will deliver innovations to improve, support and accelerate delivery at local authority level. These include: building on streamlining and efficiencies already introduced for the social housing approval process; streamlining the Part 8 planning process for local authority development; and time-limited changes to the planning process for housing more generally, with large scale projects of 100 units or more being submitted directly to An Bord Pleanála for decision, following a pre-application consultation at local authority level.

Since the publication of Rebuilding Ireland, the focus has been very much on driving implementation and accelerating housing delivery. To this end, I have visited a number of local authorities and have met all local authority chief executives. I have assured them that they will have the necessary support and resources to deliver on the plan.

With regard to staffing associated with the delivery of housing, local authorities have been rebuilding their resource base for some time now. Since January 2015, my Department has received 551 staffing requests, of which 541 have been approved, with the remaining ten pending, awaiting further information. These posts are varied and relate to planners, technicians, surveyors, engineers, project managers, housing welfare officers, building inspectors, clerks of works and administrative staff. In response to issues raised regarding staff costs, arrangements have been put in place under which certain staffing costs associated with the roll-out of the social housing capital programme can be recouped as part of project costs, providing an important support for local authorities which also, of course, have a role to play in meeting the additional costs themselves.

Under the aegis of the Cabinet committee on housing, chaired by the Taoiseach, the Government will be keeping the implementation of the Rebuilding Ireland plan under careful review with published quarterly reports on implementation and progress.

We are involved - to answer Deputy Broughan's question directly - in an ongoing conversation with chief executives. If they need more staff to deliver on the kind of ambition that we have, as the Deputy can see, we generally respond to that. If they need more, as long as they can justify the case, we will certainly try and look at it favourably.

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