Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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32. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he is taking to address the social housing waiting list problems for county councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45307/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Funding is provided to local authorities and approved housing bodies under my Department’s Social Housing Capital Investment programme and the Social Housing Current Expenditure programme, to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects and through the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments.

My Department publishes comprehensive status reports on a quarterly basis of all social housing construction schemes for all local authority areas, showing details such as their locations and a range of information relating to their advancement.  The most recent of these reports covers the period up to the end of quarter 2 of 2017; it contains information on the delivery of 11,000 new social homes - currently approved and progressing through planning, design and construction. It also contains details of the homes delivered in 2016 and to the end of quarter 2 of 2017.  The report can be accessed at the following link:.

The level of funding provided to the local authorities for their social housing construction activity is directly linked to the scale of delivery they achieve on these projects. Further project approvals are being added to the construction programme as projects are developed by local authorities and approved housing bodies. I am keen that all local authorities advance their social housing construction programme as speedily as possible and I have assured them that funding is in place to support their activity in this regard. 

In Budget 2018, the total funding provision of €1.9 billion for housing next year is an increase of 46% over 2017 and it will allow us to meet the social housing needs of 25,500 households. A large element – €1.14 billion – is for the delivery of almost 5,900 social homes through a range of construction (5,000) and acquisition (900) programmes. 

The balance of the funding will add additional tenancies – and maintain existing tenancies - through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and long-term leasing.  It will also fund other important housing supports and services in relation to homelessness, regeneration and programmes to upgrade existing housing (energy efficiency improvements, adaptation grants, housing for Travellers, pyrite, etc).

An allocation of €301 million (an increase of €149m on 2017) for the HAP scheme next year will enable a further 17,000 households to be accommodated, as well as supporting the 32,000 existing HAP tenancies. Funding of €134 million will support a further 600 new transfers under the RAS scheme, as well as meeting the ongoing cost of the 19,900 households supported under the scheme.

Overall, the 25,500 households' needs that will be met in 2018 through the range of social housing programmes represents an increase of over 4,400 on the level of activity in 2017.