Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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67. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government of the 53.65 acres remaining of council-owned land banks zoned for housing in Louth, his plans for the roll-out and funding of a social housing building programme and timeframe for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16994/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Louth County Council is working with My Department in order to achieve the social housing targets, as set out in Rebuilding Ireland. I understand that the council is considering proposals for the delivery of additional social housing  units including on lands owned by the council, and is due to submit proposals in the near future.

A substantial pipeline of new social housing construction projects is already in place both in terms of local authority direct build and approved housing body projects. We are now seeing progress through this pipeline, as is evident in the Social Housing Construction Projects Status Report, which I published on 20 February 2017.

The report contains a range of information, including projects delivered in 2016 and those at various stages of advancement through planning, design and construction. It also includes information such as local authority area, project name, AHB name where applicable, the number of units and the status of each application in terms of its current level of advancement. The report can be accessed at the following link:  .

Further project approvals are being added to the pipeline as they are developed by Louth County Council and other local authorities. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing projects as speedily as possible and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.