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

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to clarify the situation. Social housing projects approved continued apace in 2016, adding to the sizeable pipeline in place to deliver significant additional social housing in support of the objectives set out in the Rebuilding Ireland action plan. Through major announcements in May 2015, July 2015 and January 2016 almost €680 million has allocated for over 3,900 social housing new builds, turn-key developments and acquisitions. These initial announcements under the social housing strategy provided the first significant impetus for reviving the social housing construction programme, the scale of which had declined significantly, as we all know, in preceding years.

Since I became Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government last May, approximately 200 further direct construction and turn-key projects, representing some 3,600 new units, supported by Exchequer investment of €500 million, have been added to the programme. Unlike previous approvals which were announced in a number of large batches, projects are now approved as they progress through the approval process in order to expedite delivery. In other words, approvals are not batched but approved as they come through. The effect of these approvals has been to build a strong pipeline of social housing build projects. Taking the main local authority housing construction programme as an example, there are approximately 255 projects, including 20 turn-key projects, at various stages in the programme, with capacity to deliver more than 4,000 new social homes. These range from large-scale new developments to smaller infill projects. On rapid-build projects, 350 units are now advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, across a number of Dublin sites. This will be added to, with an additional 650 units this year and a further 500 units in 2018.

Under the capital assistance scheme, there are over 100 approved housing body projects in the pipeline which will deliver approximately 1,000 units. As a further example, under the PPP programme, almost 1,000 new social units are in planning with local authorities. The momentum of approvals will continue in 2017 in order to add to the pipeline and provide the basis for delivering on the increased Rebuilding Ireland targets. Data on the full pipeline of projects is currently being updated. The intention is that this will be finalised and published in conjunction with the next Rebuilding Ireland quarterly implementation report in the coming weeks.

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