James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will deliver 10,000 social and affordable housing units in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22744/07]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's housing policy statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities, and the National Development Plan 2007-2013 (NDP) reflect the strong commitment to expand social and affordable housing provision contained in the social partnership agreement Towards 2016. The NDP provides the resources — some €18 billion in total — which will support increased output from social and affordable housing measures and result in the needs of some 140,000 new households being met in this period.

These resources will be used to meet the needs of some 100,000 households by commencing/ acquiring 63,000 new social homes in the period 2007-2013, through a combination of local authority, voluntary and co-operative housing and new units for the Rental Accommodation Scheme. Further households will benefit either as they transfer to the Rental Accommodation Scheme with their existing landlords or from naturally occurring vacancies. Over the period 2007 to 2009, sufficient resources will be made available to commence/acquire some 27,000 new units of social housing.

In addition over the period of the NDP some 40,000 households will benefit from affordable housing. 17,000 of these will be delivered in the first three-year period, in line with the agreement in Towards 2016.

To ensure that these programmes are delivered in a coherent and coordinated manner City and County Councils have put in place multi-annual Housing Action Plans which encompass delivery of social and affordable housing in their areas, including Town Councils. Meetings are being held currently with local authorities, as part of the ongoing interaction on Housing Action Plans, to support delivery in the period from 2008 to 2010.