John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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796. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funds he has allocated to Kilkenny County Council and Carlow County Council for purchasing houses for those on the housing list and for families with special needs; if he is satisfied with the progress being made in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6994/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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In April last year, I announced over €1.5 billion in funding allocations in respect of social housing to be provided by all local authorities via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes. Those allocations and associated targets for each local authority, including Carlow and Kilkenny, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: .

Following this notification of targets, I made announcements for substantial new social housing projects in May 2015, in July 2015 and in January 2016. Between these three announcements, almost €680 million has been allocated for over 3,900 social housing new builds, turnkey developments and acquisitions. Details of these project approvals, including those for Kilkenny and Carlow, are available on my Department’s website at the following links:

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I am keen that local authorities advance these projects as soon as possible and have assured them that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard. While social housing construction projects are being advanced, acquisitions of new and second-hand houses and apartments remains an effective means of meeting immediate social housing need. In 2015, Kilkenny and Carlow County Councils secured the purchase of 37 and 19 new social housing units respectively. Some of these acquisitions, as well as some of the approved construction projects, were under the Capital Assistance Scheme whereby Approved Housing Bodies deliver social housing for those with specific needs such as elderly people, persons with intellectual or physical disability and homeless persons.