Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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41. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to immediately provide resources for local authorities to allow them to put emergency tenancy action teams in place that will pursue both the acquisition of local authority houses and tenancies for the housing assistance payment and rental accommodation scheme so that all available tenancies and purchases are chased down; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11594/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government has clearly signalled its intent to support the implementation of the Social Housing Strategy 2020 and the supply of new quality social housing units as evidenced by the €2.9 billion committed as part of the overall Capital Plan for the period 2016 – 2021 and the wider prioritisation of social housing across the budgetary process over the course of the Strategy. This commitment extends to providing local authorities with the direct resources and expertise that they require in order to maximise the full range of delivery mechanisms available to them, whether that is through active land and site management, partnership with approved housing bodies in relation to construction or acquisition projects, or working with private landlords in the context of rental or leasing arrangements.

While each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible, my Department works closely with all the local authorities in relation to their overall resource requirements, including staffing. To this end, my Department has sanctioned over 420 extra housing staff that are either in place or are in the process of being recruited by local authorities to work on the delivery of the Social Housing Strategy. Funding towards the cost of these staff has also been provided through revised cost recoupment and financial arrangements between my Department and local authorities.

Having met personally with local authority Chief Executives, I am confident that the challenge is firmly understood and the individual responsibility in relation to the specific local authority targets is clear. I and my Department will continue to respond to resourcing requests as we drive forward methodologies and working practices that can accelerate and expedite delivery across the range of mechanisms.