Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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237. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding housing waiting lists in County Louth by location; the time on these waiting lists; his plans to construct homes by location in County Louth, and to purchase homes already built and owned privately; the number of homes which the National Asset Management Agency has in County Louth by location; the number of these that are suitable for letting this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34993/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The results of the 2013 statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments, including details on length of time spent on waiting lists and other details br oken down by each local authority, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

I am committed to delivering an increased local authority housing construction programme. In March 2014, my Department announced the approval of some 56 social housing construction projects with an overall value of some €68 million.  This new construction programme will deliver 449 new units of accommodation for households on the housing list. In respect of County Louth, two projects with an estimated total cost of over €3.1 million have been approved, which will produce 24 units.

In relation to future provision of social housing, information in relation to the delivery of NAMA sourced units for social housing, including a full breakdown by county of units delivered by quarter, is available on the Housing Agency’s website: A.

NAMA identified 27 potential units in Louth, all of which had demand confirmed by the local authority and have since been committed or contracted for social housing purposes.

A new Social Housing Strategy is currently in preparation, with the intention that it will be considered by Government in the coming weeks. It will contain clear, measureable actions to increase the supply of social housing, based on innovative solutions that will harness new funding streams, in order to continue to protect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society.

In the meantime, my Department is continuing to oversee the provision of social housing for people on the housing waiting list and for homeless persons through local authorities and other providers. Overall, I expect some 6,000 social housing units to be delivered across the range of programmes this year.