Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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146. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the funding that has been made available to each local authority in 2016 and 2017 for building rapid build units; the number of projects and the number of units that will be built. [35385/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Funding for the delivery of rapid build housing units is being made available, as part of the overall significant increase in my Department’s capital funding for the provision of social housing units. The funding that is being provided is in addition to funding for those social housing projects that have already been approved and will not impact on their progress. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is working closely with the four Dublin local authorities in relation to the Rapid Delivery Programme. 22 rapid build units have already been delivered as a pilot project and are occupied; €3.789 million has been recouped to Dublin City Council in respect of this project to date.

Dublin City Council is currently advancing a number of other rapid build projects, including on four sites at Finglas, Darndale, Cherry Orchard and Drimnagh, which will deliver a further 131 units. While budgets have been approved in respect of these four projects, the amounts involved have not been made publicly available at this stage, given the market sensitivity of the information at a time when similar procurements are underway or are due to commence shortly. These units will be handed over to Dublin City Council on a phased basis from the end of the year and delivery will be completed early in 2017.

Further work is underway across the four local authorities, which will bring to 350 the total number of rapid delivery homes advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction, by the end of the year, on additional sites in Dublin city and on sites in Dun Laoghaire, Tallaght, Blanchardstown and Balbriggan. Work is also underway to support the delivery of a further 650 units over the course of 2017.