Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details on the way the social housing targets for 2015 to 2017 are to be met, in particular the amount of new social housing units that will be new builds, and the number that will be leased from the private rental market; and his views that the funding being made available to local authorities will be adequate to meet these targets. [15769/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The social housing targets that I recently announced for all local authorities out to 2017 include almost 7,500 units that will be capital-funded and 15,400 current-funded units, of which 11,400 will be delivered through leasing and 4,000 delivered through the Rental Accommodation Scheme.

Local authorities are responsible for the detailed planning of social housing provision based on the needs of their areas. It is a matter for each local authority to identify the appropriate initiatives to respond to their housing need, including consideration by them of options to acquire available properties, new building developments, leasing and the provision of housing supports through the private rental sector. A breakdown has been provided to local authorities in relation to their targets as between capital-funded and current-funded units.

The estimated cost to the Exchequer for the delivery of the additional 35,000 new units out to 2020 is €3.8 billion. The funding provided through Budget 2015 will provide the required kick start to the delivery of the targets in the Strategy and I am confident that my recent announcement of over €1.5 billion for the delivery of the targets out to 2017 will meet the full delivery cost of these units.