Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way he proposes to underpin housing strategies with effective housing action plans to support delivery of affordable housing and social housing supports as envisaged in Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7399/07]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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New arrangements for the planning and delivery of social and affordable housing programmes based on housing strategies were put in place by my Department in 2004 through the introduction of five-year housing action plans. These action plans identify priority needs and provide a coherent and coordinated response to those needs across all housing sectors, including the voluntary and co-operative sector, and translate the objectives for social and affordable housing identified in the housing strategies into specific target driven delivery programmes.

Because the action plans are focused on delivery, my Department has introduced three year rolling implementation programmes to support the process and meets with individual local authorities annually to review progress. I propose to issue updated guidelines on action plans to local authorities later this year to take account of the experience gained in the current round of the action plans and of the policy direction of the Housing Policy Statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities.