Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

45. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of the current expected shortfall in the housing and homelessness budgets for Dublin City Council; his plans for the allocation of additional funding and the estimated target for delivery of housing in Dublin; and the type of housing that will be provided. [29004/15]

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

Ambitious targets for social housing delivery, along with matching funding allocations, were set by me in April last, when I announced targets for the delivery of social housing for all local authorities to 2017. As part of this announcement, Dublin City Council was set a target of 3,347 social housing units, supported by a provisional funding allocation of €292m, to be invested in a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes to accommodate people on the housing waiting list.

In that context, on 5 May 2015, I announced a major social housing construction programme, involving €312m of investment, comprising some 100 projects and 1,700 housing units nationally. This included 167 new units in Dublin City, both apartments and houses, at a cost of over €35m. 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 stated at the time that this announcement was part of the first phase of direct-build projects under the Government's Social Housing Strategyand that further assessments are being carried out which will result in the approval of additional projects shortly.

With regard to funding for accommodation and related services for the homeless, a 2015 allocation of €37.16 million has been confirmed for the Dublin Region. This is an increase of 19% on the region's initial allocation (of €31.32 million) in 2014 and represents over 70% of all the funding allocated to housing authorities nationally. My Department is in active and ongoing discussions with the Dublin authorities regarding the extent of their possible additional funding requirements in 2015 and this issue will be addressed toward the end of Quarter 3 in the light of expenditure actually incurred at that stage.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

46. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the proposals he has put to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for direct-build social housing development by the local authorities; the proposals that were accepted and will be brought forward; if he has set targets for public private partnership-type social housing by the local authorities and voluntary sectors between 2015 and 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28715/15]

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

The Social Housing Strategy 2020has been approved by Government and includes a commitment for significant funding for the social housing targets it contains. The Strategy will support an additional 35,000 new social housing units to be delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies through a combination of building, purchase and leasing schemes. The estimated cost to the Exchequer for the delivery of these new units is €3.8 billion to 2020.

The funding provided through Budget 2015 will provide the required kick start to delivery under the Strategy, as will the local authority targets that I set in April 2015, of over 22,800 new units to be delivered between 2015 – 2017, with €1.5 billion in provisional funding allocations.

In line with these targets, on 5 May last I announced the first major direct build social housing programme with some 100 separate housing projects, delivering 1,700 new social housing units at a cost of €312 million. Details of these projects are available on my Department's website at the following link:

I will be making further announcements shortly based on local authority proposals to deliver additional new social housing units.

The Social Housing Strategyalso provides for a public private partnership programme to invest €300million in social housing. This is to comprise development of up to 1,500 housing units and the provision of services over a 25-year period following construction. This will include the maintenance and upkeep of the housing, and return of the asset after 25 years in prime condition. The Strategy commits to the provision of these units by the end of 2017. It is intended that the first bundle of PPP sites will have a focus on delivery in the Greater Dublin area.