Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell, has called on the State, and particularly Fingal County Council to urgently facilitate the building of social housing.
“I would urge the State, and particularly Fingal County Council to facilitate the construction of social housing units in Fingal with the utmost urgency. Bringing more social and affordable housing units on stream would provide many people on the housing list with their own home, while also increasing the availability of emergency accommodation for people who are homeless, until such a stage as the local authority can provide them with a home.
“The delivery of suitable social and affordable housing, as a result of the economic crash, remains unacceptably slow. Fingal County Council has an ample supply of zoned land on which social and affordable housing could be developed.
“Budget 2015 set out this Government’s €2.2 billion Social Housing Strategy up to 2020, with the current allocation for social housing in Budget 2016 being increased from €68 million to €414 million. The aim of this increase is to secure accommodation for a further 14,000 households. Furthermore, as part of Budget 2016, funding provision to address homelessness has been increased from €17 million to €70 million.
“With investment by the State, an increased supply of social housing would also assist in stimulating private housing development, which would subsequently reduce the pressure on the overheated rental market.
“The provision of social and affordable housing in Dublin Fingal, is of the utmost importance and I would urge the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and Fingal County Council to urgently prioritise the delivery of this vital infrastructure.”