Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 387: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount which is to be made available to each local authority for remedial housing works in 2009. [13193/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Formal allocations for the national remedial works programme are not usually made until April in any given year. However, in January 2009, to facilitate local authorities in planning for and managing projects, provisional allocations totalling €52 million were notified to authorities. Since then, my Department has held Housing Action Plan meetings with all Housing Authorities during which the direction and content of social housing construction and improvement programmes were discussed. The final allocations under the national programme will naturally have to take account of the information received during the course of this round of Action Plan meetings, as well as the Estimates position for 2009 to be finalised shortly. It is envisaged that the allocations will issue to local authorities by end April 2009.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 388: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of local authority houses to be built in 2009; and the breakdown among each county area. [13194/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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During March my Department held Housing Action Plan meetings with all housing authorities. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss the direction and content of authorities' proposed housing investment programmes and particularly to consider the prioritisation of projects and the reconfiguration of the Social Housing Investment Programme as a whole, so that it can be sustained and consolidated in the changing economic and budgetary circumstances. On foot of information furnished in the course of this round of Action Plan meetings, and taking account of the finalised Estimates position for 2009 to be published on 7 April, I will consider and finalise this year's Social Housing Investment Programme allocations later in April.

Based on these allocations it will be a matter for housing authorities to finalise their plans for the composition, management and delivery of their programmes, taking into account existing commitments, identifying priority projects and proposals and providing a time line for delivery and a sustainable funding plan for each project and their programme as a whole. The overall aim will be to maximise capacity to meet housing needs through the suite of social housing supply options available to individual housing authorities, including through the recently announced long-term leasing initiative.