Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way the cut of 27% in the social housing budget will affect the roll out of social housing units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48134/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's key priorities in shaping the overall housing provision for next year have been to focus the impact of necessary adjustments on the areas in which there is scope to maintain output through more flexible approaches and where the policy context supports such approaches, and to continue to direct available capital resources substantially towards the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. In keeping with this strategy, the reform programme, now well under way in my Department, involves a shift away from construction/acquisition and a one size fits all approach to meeting social housing needs towards a more graduated system of supports. This refocusing, in policy and financial terms, is rooted in the clearly articulated rationale set out in the Government's housing policy statement, Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities.

While the provision for the main local authority programme has been adjusted downwards for 2010, I anticipate that, through more flexible market based delivery mechanisms such as the rental accommodation scheme and long term leasing, as well as the significant increase in funding available under the capital assistance scheme in 2010, delivery across the range of social housing measures next year will be of the order of 8,000/9,000 units.