Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. Over the course of the six-year Rebuilding Ireland action plan, the Government is firmly committed to meeting the housing needs of more than 138,000 households, with more than 50,000 homes being delivered through build, acquisition and leasing programmes. The implementation of Rebuilding Ireland is a key Government priority supported by significant annual investment. For 2019 alone, funding of €2.4 billion is being provided for all housing programmes, with a further €2.63 billion available in 2020. This investment will see the housing needs of almost 27,400 households being met in 2019, of which 10,000 will be new social housing homes delivered through build, acquisition and long-term leasing programmes. In 2020, we are targeting the delivery of 11,000 homes through build, acquisition and leasing. More than 7,000 of these will be newly-built social housing homes, the highest number of such homes to be built in a single year this century. The delivery of these homes will substantially aid the continued reduction in the number of households on social housing waiting lists. These numbers continue to decline, with a 26% reduction since 2016.

My Department continues to engage intensively with all local authorities to keep momentum on new build output as high as possible. As part of our ongoing commitment to support structures, a dedicated housing delivery office has been established to support local authorities to maximise their delivery potential and harness the best that is available in their functional areas. In addition, in September last, my Department, in collaboration with local authorities, published the employers' requirements document. This document supports local authorities by providing guidance on the general quality of materials, finishes and fittings for use in social housing in the interest of value for money. In addition, it provides guidance on the preparation of tender documents for improved cost and programme control.

There is nothing preventing local authorities from delivering more social homes. My Department continues to work intensively to streamline and facilitate new processes. New homes require appropriate planning permissions and while this cannot be achieved overnight, dedicated efforts since 2016 will now see 2020 as a record year for social housing build output.

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