Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

875. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the lack of adequate and available housing stock, due to policies over a period of years that have resulted in a lack of investment in local authority housing and in affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24802/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government published Construction 2020: A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sectorin May 2014 which is aimed at addressing issues in the property and construction sectors and ensuring that any critical bottlenecks that might impede the sector in meeting residential and non-residential demand are addressed. My Department is leading on a range of measures under Construction 2020to support increased housing delivery. In particular, the Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015 provides for changes in development contributions, revisions to Part V arrangements and a new vacant site levy. The Bill is currently before the Seanad and I expect it to complete its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer recess.

Social housing is a key priority for the Government, evidenced by the additional €2.2 billion in funding announced for it in Budget 2015 and the publication of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 in November 2014, itself an action under Construction 2020. The total targeted provision under the Strategy of 110,000 social housing units includes the delivery of 35,000 new social housing units through Pillar 1. The private rental sector, through Pillar 2 of the Strategy, will accommodate up to 75,000 eligible low-income households primarily through the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Importantly, the Strategy restores the State to a central role in the provision of social housing.

Since the Strategy was published, details of over €1.5 billion for building, purchasing and leasing schemes, to accommodate 25% of the housing list by 2017, has been announced, with €312mapproved for the first tranche of building 1,700social housing units. The projects will have a knock on effect of creating approximately 3,000jobs in construction. This announcement covers some 100 separate housing projects, across all 31 local authorities, the details of which are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

.

Further announcements of new unit delivery under the Capital Assistance Scheme and the broader social housing investment programmes will be made in the coming weeks and months.

The Government is committed to ensuring that every household will have access to secure, good quality housing suited to their needs at an affordable price in a sustainable community, as demonstrated by its action-driven approach under Construction 2020and the Social Housing Strategy.

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

876. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when the next grant will be paid to Meath County Council for social housing development; the amount; the number of units it will build; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29061/15]

Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

877. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the process his Department, in conjunction with Meath County Council will use, other than building, if he will provide additional social housing units in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29062/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 876 and 877 together.

I announced targets for the delivery of social housing for all local authorities out to 2017 in April last, under which Meath County Council was set a target of 519 social housing units, supported by €27.8m of investment. This funding is being invested in a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes to accommodate people on the housing waiting lists. Of the 519 units announced for County Meath, 134 units are to be delivered via capital -funded programmes, with 385 units under current-funded programmes.

I announced the first phase of direct-build projects under the Government’s Social Housing Strategyin May 2015, involving €312m of investment, comprising some 100 projects and 1,700 housing units. This included 83 new units for County Meath at a cost of over €17.1m. Full details, including specifics of the projects to be progressed, the funding allocated and the number of units to be delivered across all local authorities, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

I also announced targets and funding for local authorities to return vacant or boarded-up social housing units to productive use, which is part of their delivery targets. The number of such units targeted for County Meath for 2015 is 25.

When I announced the first phase of direct-build projects under the Social Housing Strategy, I stated that further assessments are being carried which will result in the approval of additional projects and I expect further announcements will be made shortly as additional proposals from local authorities are evaluated.

Under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme, previously referred to as the Social Housing Leasing Initiative, the number of additional social housing units that are targeted nationally to 2017 is 11,400. The number targeted in respect of County Meath is 284. However, it is important to highlight that the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme is a national fund without individual authority funding allocations. Where a local authority can exceed its target, it should be possible to fund such additional units with the agreement of my Department.

The number of additional social housing units targeted for the Rental Accommodation Scheme nationally to 2017 under the Social Housing Strategyis 4,000. The number of such units targeted in respect of County Meath is 101.