Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Howlin asked about rapid-build units. I expect there to be 1,500 by the end of 2018 and there are 350 at various stages of delivery at the moment, which will become occupied in the coming months. A further 650 homes are in progress this year while the target for 2018 is 500. Deputy Martin referred to the HAP and 810 were accredited for homeless households in the Dublin region in 2016, exceeding the target of 550. The target for 2017 is 1,200 tenancies. The Minister is not happy with the figures but he has had to provide a range of incentives for local authorities, individuals and construction firms, as well as money to local authorities to get back to building houses as they used to years ago. Over the coming year there will be a very significant increase in the construction of social houses, private houses, returning to voids and rapid-build houses to give us the capacity to deal with the numbers of homeless on the streets.

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