Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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773. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of houses acquired by each local authority by direct purchase by Part V in each of the years 2014 to 2016 to date. [6670/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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Information on social housing units constructed in respect of all local authorities funded by direct capital investment by my Department, is published on my Department’s website at the following link: .

Details of social housing units delivered through Part V arrangements are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

Statistics for 2016 are not yet available.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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774. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the regulations, criteria and price thresholds regarding the acquisition of houses by local authorities. [6671/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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My Department provides capital funding to local authorities for the acquisition of houses and apartments for social housing use. The parameters applying to local authorities in respect of exchequer funded social housing acquisitions was set out in Circular Housing 24/2015, which is available at the following link: .

The cost thresholds for such acquisitions were notified to each individual local authority under separate cover for commercial confidentiality purposes.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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775. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the cost of the rapid build housing programme in Ballymun in Dublin 11; and the length of time the project took from the beginning of the process. [6672/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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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 individual housing authorities. With regard to rapid-delivery housing, in October 2015 the Government approved a programme to deliver 500 units of rapid-delivery housing for homeless households across Dublin, with an initial 22 units in Poppintree, Ballymun. In November 2015, Dublin City Council entered into a contract for the rapid-delivery units in Ballymun at a cost of €4.2m excluding VAT. The units are now complete and surround works are in train, with a view to occupancy by the end of this month.

This programme of rapid-delivery housing provision is being implemented to mitigate the issues associated with an increasing volume of homeless households accommodated in inappropriate commercial hotel arrangements. The units will provide emergency accommodation for those families currently in hotels in the first instance, offering a greater level of stability while move-on options to long-term independent living are identified and secured. Furthermore, such arrangements will facilitate more coordinated needs assessment and support planning for access to all required services, including welfare, health and housing services.