Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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518. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of social housing units which will commence construction in each local authority area in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45982/14]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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519. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of voluntary housing units that will commence construction in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45983/14]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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520. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of units that each local authority plans to purchase in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45984/14]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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521. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide in tabular form the number of units that each voluntary housing body plans to purchase in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45985/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 518 to 521, inclusive, together.

The planning of new social housing units involves my Department working with each individual local authority which, as housing authorities, are responsible for the identification of their area’s social housing need and the development of the appropriate responses. The new Social Housing Strategy 2020provides a clear governance structure for the advancement of social housing targets which I, as Minister, will personally oversee to ensure delivery.

Action 1 of the Strategy requires the agreement of targets for delivery of social housing next year and in subsequent years. These specific targets will be agreed through the governance structure, in collaboration with local authorities and with input from the approved housing body sector. For 2015, I expect that some 7,400 new social housing units will be provided under the range of existing initiatives, with a further 8,400 households assisted through the Housing Assistance Payment. As part of the local authority housing construction and acquisitions programme, there is a target of 946 units, and a further 440 through approved housing bodies under the Capital Assistance Scheme.

In addition to the above, planning and development work is already underway for the delivery between now and 2016 of 449 new units of accommodation for people on housing waiting lists as part of a local authority social housing construction programme, details of which are available at the following link:

This is alongside the delivery of 416 units by approved housing bodies for people with special housing needs, which is also already underway under the Capital Assistance Scheme, details of which are available at .