Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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232. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if large scale housing funding projects proposed to his Department by local authorities, approved housing bodies or the Housing Agency, including acquisitions or new builds, were deferred in 2016 or have been deferred in 2017; if so, the projects concerned; the amounts requested and deferred; and the reasons for these decisions. [23111/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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While delays can arise in relation to projects for a range of reasons, including planning and procurement issues, I am satisfied, on the basis of social housing delivery in 2016 having exceeded targets and the substantial progress which has been made already in the early months of 2017, that the delivery of social housing continues to gather further significant momentum.

As the Deputy will be aware, €5.35billion is being made available for housing projects over the lifetime of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan and my Department is actively encouraging local authorities and approved housing bodies to progress as many projects as possible over the coming years.

In terms of construction projects that are advancing at present, a comprehensive status list of such social housing schemes can be accessed at the following link: .

Further project approvals are being added to the published list as they are developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies, details of which will be outlined in the context of the next quarterly reporting under Rebuilding Ireland. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing projects, direct or approved housing body led, as speedily as possible and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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234. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there has been a change in policy in his Department with respect to the offering of rapid build and modular homes for long-term lease as opposed to short-term transitory accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23121/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, a Rapid-Build Housing Programme is being implemented, through which I expect in the region of 1,500 rapid-build units to be delivered by 2018.  While this programme is being implemented, in the first instance, to mitigate the issues associated with using hotels as emergency accommodation for homeless families, the programme is also intended to expedite the supply of standard social housing.  In this regard, the Office of Government Procurement has established a framework for the procurement of rapid build contractors to allow local authorities across the country to run quicker procurement competitions and advance rapid build projects to site more efficiently and effectively. 

The allocation of social housing support to qualified households is a matter for the housing authority concerned in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme made under Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011. Insofar as families being moved from hotels is concerned, I understand that the local authorities concerned are, where appropriate, providing accommodation under licence arrangements rather than through tenancies.