Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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516. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of social housing units, including new build, purchased and tenancy vacancies of planned new homes, to be delivered by the housing departments of Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council in timeframes (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48007/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The overall target for social housing delivery under Rebuilding Ireland has increased from 47,000 to 50,000 homes, with the total funding investment increasing from €5.35 billion to over €6 billion over the lifetime of the plan.

With the increased national targets under Rebuilding Ireland, and the recent Budget 2018 increase to €1.9 billion in funding for housing programmes next year, increased national targets beyond 2017 will be issued to local authorities shortly.  These will be based on the statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments, a count of the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority.

To support and accelerate the delivery of social housing, as set out in Rebuilding Ireland, the necessary funding is in place, with a greater emphasis now being placed on direct build activity for local authorities and approved housing bodies. This is evident in the most recent Status Report for Social Housing Construction Projects, which showed at end Q2 2017, some 11,000 new social homes at various stages of progress nationally. The Status Report is available on the Rebuilding Ireland website at the following link:

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In addition, my Department has put in place new targeted timelines for social housing construction projects that set out the optimum timeframe from initial project concept through to design, planning, procurement and mobilisation of contractor on site.  The Programme puts an onus on all stakeholders - my Department, the local Authorities and the Approved Housing Bodies - to advance projects through the process in a timely manner.

My Department will continue to engage actively with all local authorities, including Dublin City and Fingal County Councils, to deliver social housing through all available avenues, with a particular emphasis on additional construction projects.