Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied with the operation of the State agencies providing housing assistance; if he has proposals to rationalise the delivery of service in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36832/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The task of ensuring efficient and effective provision of housing services by both housing authorities and approved housing bodies is an ongoing one. On 16 June 2011 the Minister of State for Housing and Planning launched the Government's new housing policy statement which will serve as a framework for a sequence of legislative and policy initiatives in the short to medium-term building on new supply directions already initiated such as the social housing leasing initiative. The new framework for housing policy responds to current and emerging conditions in the housing sector, taking account of the dramatic cycle of rapid growth and sudden collapse in the residential property market.

We are committed to responding as quickly as possible, and on a larger scale, to social housing support needs through a variety of mechanisms including through increased provision of social housing by both local authorities and the voluntary and co-operative housing sector. In relation to efficiencies generally in the local government sector, the Local Government Efficiency Review Group, in their Report in July 2010, identified a number of efficiencies in the delivery of housing services. I have established an Implementation Group to oversee the implementation of relevant recommendations from the Report.