Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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234. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funding Kerry County Council requested for housing in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16758/16]

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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235. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of funding Kerry County Council received in 2015 for the provision of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16759/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos 234and 235 together.

In April 2015, funding allocations were announced of over €1.5 billion in respect of social housing to be provided by all local authorities via a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes over the period 2015-17. Those allocations and associated targets for each local authority, including Kerry which has an allocation for this purpose of some €62 million, are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

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Following this notification of targets, announcements for substantial new social housing projects were made in May 2015, in July 2015 and in January 2016, on the basis of project proposals made the local authorities, including Kerry County Council. 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 Kerry, are available on my Department’s website at the following links:

• http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,41340,en.htm
• http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentHousing/Housing/News/MainBody,42225,en.htm
• http://www.environ.ie/housing/social-housing/ministers-kelly-coffey-announce-further-1000-social-housing-units

I am keen that all local authorities, including KerryCounty Council, advance these projects as soon as possible and I have assured them that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard. Across the range of schemes under the social housing programme, my Department provided over €11.9 million to Kerry County Council in 2015. I expect funding drawdown to increase as the construction projects are advanced by the local authorities and approved housing bodies. While social housing construction projects are being advanced, acquisitions of new and second-hand houses and apartments remain an effective means of meeting immediate social housing need. In 2015, Kerry County Councilsecured the purchase of 29 housing units. In addition, under the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme, approved housing bodies can purchase, lease or construct housing units and make them available for social housing; 51 new units became operational for Kerry under this programme in 2015.

The funding provided also includes allocations to local authorities under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). The Scheme provides social housing support for persons who are in receipt of long-term rent supplement and information on the amounts paid to local authorities, including Kerry Council, can be found at the following link on my Department’s website: .