Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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118. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has allocated the planned expansion of social housing across each local authority in the State; the criteria being used to determine the greatest need and to ensure a fair demographic spread of the extra investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3676/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for social housing in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020in November 2014, which sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of households on the housing list. The total targeted provision of over 110,000 social housing units, through the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units and meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, will address the needs of the 90,000 households on the local authority housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand.

Action 1 of the Strategy requires the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis this year and in subsequent years. Action 4 of the Strategy requires the 4 Dublin local authorities to agree similar targets. Action 1 will be delivered by the Project Board while Action 4 is the responsibility of the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce. Both actions will be delivered in quarter 1 2015 and to this end both Groups have recently met and have agreed the process on setting targets for each local authority. Consultation with individual Local Authorities is now taking place.

The Summary of Social Housing Assessments 2013identified 89,872 households assessed by local housing authorities as being eligible and in need of some form of social housing support. The results of this assessment have inform ed the Project Board, the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforceand local authorities in terms of the target setting process underway. Furthermore, the Strategy commits to the undertaking of the Housing Needs Assessment on an annual basis from 2016 to ensure that social housing supports delivered continue to match the variable profile of those in need. This action will also support the commitment in Construction 2020that a National Framework for Housing Supply be established to ensure the supply of housing is matched with projected demand.