Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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65. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on the fact that the construction of new homes has hit a seven-year high and yet homelessness here is still on the rise; the reason for this phenomenon; the changes that are required to the housing policy to rectify this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15028/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The long-term solution to homelessness is to increase the supply of homes.  A range of measures are being progressed in this regard under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness which was launched in July 2016 and which provides a multi-stranded, action-oriented approach to achieving the Government’s key housing objectives, including tackling homelessness in a comprehensive manner. 

The Action Plan is designed to accelerate all types of housing supply – social, private and rental.  Over the lifetime of the Plan, some 47,000 new social houses will be provided, supported by Exchequer investment of over €5 billion, and housing output generally will be progressively increased towards the target of producing 25,000 houses per year through all channels. 

It is intended that the long-term housing needs of  homeless families will be met through housing supports, such as the enhanced Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, and general social housing allocations.  Significant progress is being achieved in this regard, with housing authorities achieving over 3,000 sustainable exits from homeless accommodation into independent tenancies during 2016, a record level of exits in a calendar year.

A range of schemes and social housing programmes have been developed and continue to be rolled out to support homeless individuals and homeless families.  This includes a variety of build, acquisition and leasing schemes, including rapid delivery programmes and schemes which will bring properties which are currently vacant or derelict back into use.

The Monthly Housing Activity Report: February 2017 provides the most up-to-date data on residential planning permissions, housing commencements and completions, and social housing output and can be accessed through the following link:

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Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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66. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the progress that has been made on Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland; the actions included in the range of actions to bring vacant units back into use; if he will consider the appointment of empty house officers in local authorities, as proposed by a charity (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16798/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Pillar 5 of the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, published in July 2016, is specifically focused on Utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Ireland commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy, informed by Census 2016 data, to

- inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country,

- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and

- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into re-use.

To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for coordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group in September 2016, comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy.  The Working Group has met six times to date, and is presently concluding its deliberations, with a view to facilitating and incentivising the greater re-utilisation of vacant properties.

Pending finalisation of the Strategy in the coming weeks, it would be premature to speculate on specific recommendations that may be included.