Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Under Rebuilding Ireland, a total of 50,000 social housing homes will be delivered through build, acquisition and leasing programmes.  In addition to this, 87,000 additional households will be supported through the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme (HAP) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).

The combination of 50,000 social housing homes and 87,000 HAP and RAS social housing supports, which are being funded by the Government in the period 2016 to 2021, means that over 137,000 long term and flexible options will be made available to those on housing waiting lists under Rebuilding Ireland. 

The Government, working with the local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and other delivery agents, is already exceeding the delivery targets set for the first two years of Rebuilding Ireland. Of the combined target of 137,000 referred to above, just under 45,000 households have had their housing need met by the end of year 2 of the Rebuilding Ireland Plan – 33% of those targeted under the 6 year Plan as a whole.

In 2017, 25,901 households had their housing need met, with some 7,095 of these properties delivered through the build/acquisition and long-term leasing mechanisms.

The significant expansion of the social housing build programme is evident in the Quarter 1 2018 Social Housing Construction Status Report. The programme includes 930 schemes (or phases) at the end of last year, delivering almost 15,000 homes, a very substantial increase on the 10,072 homes in the programme a year earlier. The full report can be accessed at: .

Data relating to overall social housing delivery in 2017 and Quarter 1 2018, across all local authorities, is published on my Department's website at the following link:.

In 2018, I expect to see at least 25,500 households having their housing need met. I have advised all local authorities of their minimum social housing targets across build, acquisition and lease both for 2018 and also for the multi-annual period to 2021, details of which can be accessed on my Department's website at:.

Given that the scale and pace of local authority building activity are targeted to continue to increase, additional resources, including technical resources which during the inactive years had been lost to local authorities, continue to be replenished.  Streamlined approval processes for capital projects have also been put in place, including a revised single stage approval process for certain projects.

In addition, my Department and I are actively addressing homelessness, working with local authorities to accelerate the delivery of social housing homes for those who need them. While these more permanent housing solutions are being put in place, we are working with local authorities to deliver Family Hubs, which are a first response only, but do provide more suitable, safe and supported family living arrangements, with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, while move-on options to long-term independent tenancies are identified and secured.  

There are currently 22 family hubs in operation, 18 of which are in Dublin, two in Limerick, one in Cork and one in Kildare.  Combined, these hubs provide over 500 units of family accommodation.  My Department is working closely with the local authorities on the development of further family hubs.