Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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34. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his role in providing a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level, if he will provide a directive for modular homes to be built at sites not already earmarked for building of bricks and mortar homes, if he has issued any directive for public private partnerships to produce urgently needed social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44046/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with the individual housing authorities and the purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. My Department has no function with regard to operational matters, such as site selection for modular housing or for any particular development, which are matters for the relevant housing authorities. I am not, therefore, considering issuing a Direction in this matter. The Government has approved the delivery of 500 units of modular housing for homeless families across Dublin. It is intended to have the first 150 units delivered as quickly as possible in the Dublin City Council administrative area, with the City Council acting as the contracting authority. The Council is aiming to secure the delivery of an initial 22 of these units before Christmas, with commencement of delivery of the remaining units to follow by late Q1 2016. A further 350 units will then be provided across the four local authorities in the Dublin region through a national procurement framework overseen by the Office of Government Procurement.

The Government’s Social Housing Strategy 2020 provides for an investment of €300 million in social housing through the public private partnership model. In total, the programme is expected to deliver 1,500 social housing units. To enable delivery to commence as quickly as possible, the PPP programme is being rolled-out in up to three bundles.

I announced the sites for the first bundle of Social Housing PPP projects on Budget day, 13 October 2015. The bundle comprises 6 sites with a capital value of approximately €100m, which are expected to deliver over 500 units. Two of the sites are located in Dublin City with one each in South Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Louth. Sites for the next bundles are currently being assessed.  This process is expected to conclude in early 2016.  I am satisfied that the PPP programme is proceeding well and I have no plans to issue any Direction in that regard.