David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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201. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he has taken to promote the single rural dwellings scheme in County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22258/23]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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203. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has been made aware of local authorities that have completely ceased to fund and promote single rural dwelling as a form of social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22260/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 203 together.

While I have made a wide range of funding and development options available to local authorities, it is they who are responsible for the identification of the social housing need in their areas and for the development of appropriate responses to the need identified.

The approach to providing social housing by the local authorities is dependent on the precise circumstances and location and they are best positioned to assess this, in line with guidance provided by my Department through the publication 'Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities', which is available at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad%2C1979%2Cen.pdf.

Local authorities now have substantial pipelines of new social housing projects, ranging from larger scale developments to single rural dwellings. Details can be seen in the quarterly Social Housing Construction Status Reports published by my Department. The most recently available report sets out the position at end Quarter 4 of 2022 and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/14f82-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q4-2022/. 

My Department does not record the precise circumstances of all social housing projects involving one single unit but further information on such projects should be available from the local authorities themselves.

I am pleased to see the progress being made on projects, building on what has already been delivered, but I am keen that all local authorities further accelerate their programmes and I have assured them that the necessary funding is available to support their work in this regard.