Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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123. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the extent to which his Department has sought information from the various local authorities on a county basis in respect of the local authority housing need with particular reference to the Dublin local authorities and the other counties of Leinster adjacent thereto; if it has been possible to determine a minimum number of houses needed to address the housing crisis in their respective areas without exception; the total number of houses needed to address the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4040/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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124. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to meet the rapidly increasing local authority housing needs in the counties adjoining Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4041/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1e3 and 124 together.

Social housing is a key priority for the Government, 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. The Strategy builds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measureable actions and targets to increase the supply of social housing, reform delivery arrangements and meet the housing needs of all households on the housing list. Importantly, the Strategy restores the State to a central role in the provision of social housing.

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 housing waiting list in full, with flexibility to meet potential future demand. In committing to provide these 35,000 new social housing units, at a projected cost of €3.8 billion, the strategy marks a fresh start for social housing in Ireland.

Over the 6 years of the strategy, I anticipate that the 35,000 units will be delivered as follows: some 22,300 units to be built and acquired utilising both current and capital monies; 11,000 units to be leased; and 2,300 units to be supplied through the refurbishment and bringing back into use of vacant local authority stock.

Under the relevant actions of the Social Housing Strategy, national targets for delivery of social housing on a local authority by local authority basis are to be agreed for each year. 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. To this end both Groups have recently met in recent days 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 2013 identified 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 informed the Project Board, the Dublin Social Housing Delivery Taskforce and 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.