Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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229. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for the provision of modular housing in County Kildare in view of the extraordinary numbers on the housing list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9488/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is up to each local authority, including Kildare County Council, to consider what are the best mechanisms for the delivery of social housing units in their area and this can include traditional construction methods, rapid delivery, acquisitions and also can include the delivery of units through current-funded programmes, such as the Rental Accommodation Scheme, Housing Assistance Payment and various leasing arrangements under my Department’s Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme. In relation to the Deputy's particular query, Kildare County Council have indicated that they are currently working to identify a site or sites suitable for development under the rapid delivery model.

It might be of interest to the Deputy, however, to note that my Department held a workshop recently in relation to rapid build delivery and the rapid build Office of Government Procurement framework, which was recently put in place. All local authorities, as well as representatives of the Approved Housing Bodies, were invited to the workshop and to contact the multidisciplinary team, including technical support dedicated within the Department, who will support them advance projects, through the rapid delivery framework.

It is envisaged that the shorter time frames associated with rapid delivery projects will facilitate the quicker construction of social housing and therefore impact positively on the local authority waiting lists.