Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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285. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to amend the Rebuilding Ireland strategy in view of the increase in entrants to emergency accommodation and the view by many experts that the reliance on the private market to deliver supply is fanciful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45245/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Government recognises the ongoing rates of homeless presentation, which are essentially a result of a shortage of housing supply in both the social and private rented sectors. It is for this reason that the overarching objective of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessnessis to increase the supply of new homes, across all forms of housing, to 25,000 per annum by 2020.

Over one year into the plan, all of the key statistical indicators point to a significant scaling up of home building activity with planning permissions, commencement notices and ESB residential connections all on the increase. Over 19,000 households had their social housing needs met in 2016, and I expect that a further 21,000 such supports will be delivered in 2017.

With regard to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), there are currently more than 28,500 households being supported by the scheme and over 14,500 of these households commenced HAP support since the beginning of 2017; more than 350 households are being set up on HAP each week in 2017.

It is intended that the long-term housing needs of households in emergency accommodation will be met through a range of social housing supports such as the HAP scheme and through general social housing allocations. Progress is being made with over 3,000 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies being achieved in 2016, while over 2,000 such exits were achieved during the first half of 2017.

I have already been reviewing Rebuilding Ireland to identify any changes or new measures that may be required. In this regard, I have already brought forward a number of new initiatives in relation to social housing, homelessness and the rental sector, which were announced over the course of September, with a particular emphasis on additional direct build of social housing by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, and further measures and significant additional funding have been announced as part of Budget 2018.