Minister Announces €1.5bn Social Housing Plan

Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government, Alan Kelly T.D. has announced housing targets for each local authority area out to 2017.

Over €1.5bn will be invested in a combination of building, buying and leasing schemes by local authorities designed to accommodate 25% of those currently on the housing waiting lists in social housing.

The move comes as part of the Government's €3.8bn social housing strategy announced last November out to 2020. Each local authority was asked to bring forward housing unit targets and specific building projects out to 2017. As part of the strategy, targets had to be agreed with each local authority in 2015.

In the case of the Dublin local authorities, these will be given housing targets over and above what they proposed to the Department of Environment to ensure strong delivery where the need is greatest. The combined funding total for the Dublin local authorities comes to over €500m to 2017.

Approximately 300 separate building proposals by local authorities are currently being assessed by the Department and will be announced in a number of phases starting in Mid-April. Construction is already underway for social housing in approximately 33 sites throughout the country.

Minister Kelly said: "Housing is the number one priority for the Government. What we are announcing today is ambitious targets for each local authority right throughout the country for each local authority area.

"This will have a major impact for those on the housing waiting lists with a national reduction of 25% targeted over the period from these schemes alone. The recovering economy is allowing us to invest in vital public services such as housing and we are doing that."

(CD/JP)