Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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28. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the details of the proposed social housing programme, in terms of the number of newly built units that his Department expects to deliver in each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9108/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Social housing is a key priority for Government, as evidenced by the increased provision made for the area in Budget 2015. The Social Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reformbuilds on the provisions contained in Budget 2015 and sets out clear, measurable 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. The Strategy targets the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units over the period to 2020. The cost to the Exchequer of building, acquiring or leasing these 35,000 units is estimated over the period to 2020 to be €3.8 billion. Significant Exchequer funding is being allocated to ensure that the early phases of the Strategy will be delivered.

Actions 1 and 4 of the Strategy require the agreement of national targets for delivery of social housing across local authorities in 2015 and in subsequent years. Target-setting on an individual local authority by local authority basis is well underway, and will be concluded by the end of Quarter 1 2015, in accordance with the timeline set out in the Strategy. In this regard, my Department has sought and received delivery proposals from each local authority for the years 2015 to 2017 and these are now being assessed. The precise details of the delivery will be agreed on a local authority by local authority basis in the coming weeks. However, these will be based on the targets which are set out in the Strategy, under which I expect some 5,800 new social housing units to be built or acquired by local authorities and approved housing bodies over the period 2015 to 2017, with a further 1,700 vacant local authority units being returned to use.