Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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302. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which facilities are available to meet the housing needs of the indigenous rural population by way of ensuring an adequate number of houses in keeping with good planning principles to facilitate in so far as is possible the indigenous needs of those living in rural areas thereby reducing the impact on housing lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52544/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Addressing our housing shortage and homelessness crisis is the Government's number one priority.  The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is focused on  increasing and accelerating housing delivery, across all tenures. The funding earmarked for the social housing element of the Action Plan was increased from €5.35 billion to over €6 billion in Budget 2018.

With regard to rural housing, it is a matter for each local authority to determine the nature, location and relative priority of individual social housing projects. In submitting proposals for funding to my Department in respect of new social housing projects, local authorities and approved housing bodies may include proposals for social housing projects in rural areas, where they have identified and prioritised such need.

In relation to social housing construction activity in general, my Department publishes comprehensive status reports on a quarterly basis, of 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 3 of 2017. It includes information on the delivery of over 12,000 new social housing homes, which are currently approved and progressing through planning, design, and construction, or have been completed in 2016 and to the end of quarter 3 of 2017.  The report can be accessed at the following link:

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I am keen that they advance all of these projects as soon as possible and have assured them that funding is available to fully support their efforts in this regard.

In relation to the development of rural areas, the Deputy will be aware that the Action Plan for Rural Development, published on 23 January 2017, takes a whole-of-Government approach, led by my colleague the Minister for Rural and Community Development, to the economic and social development of rural Ireland and will act as an overarching structure for the co-ordination and implementation of rural initiatives across Government Departments and other public bodies.