Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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12. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the progress towards reaching the goal in Rebuilding Ireland that by mid-2017, emergency hotel and bed and breakfast type accommodation for families will only be used in limited circumstances. [35428/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is fully recognised that the period of time that families spend in emergency hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation should be minimised. This is reflected in the commitment in Rebuilding Ireland that by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in limited circumstances for emergency accommodation for families. It is intended that this will be achieved by meeting their housing needs through the enhanced Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme and general housing allocations, and by providing new supply to be delivered through an expanded Rapid Build Housing Programme and a Housing Agency initiative to acquire vacant houses.

My Department is working closely with local authorities and with the Housing Agency towards the achievement of these actions and initiatives. For example, a record level of exits from homelessness - 1,350 – was delivered by local authorities in the first six months of this year and the level of activity in this regard has continued to accelerate. As of 14 November 2016, 594 HAP tenancies had been created for homeless households under the Homeless pilot of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, already exceeding the end-year target of 550 set in Rebuilding Ireland.

The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness contains a clear commitment to provide regular progress updates, particularly through quarterly progress reports. The first quarterly progress report (in respect of Quarter 3 commitments and actions) was published on 1 November, and can be accessed through the Rebuilding Ireland website, www.rebuildingireland.ie.Further progress reports will be published on a quarterly basis, with the next report due to be published in January 2017. Each Quarterly Report will focus on the actions due to be progressed or completed in the preceding quarter.