I am sharing time with Deputy Paul Murphy.
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
State Examinations
Ladies first, is it, Deputy Cummins?
No, Deputy Murphy will go first.
I am sure the Minister of State has probably been inundated as I have - probably more so than me - with emails from worried leaving cert students, parents and teachers about the unfair disadvantage that this year's students will be put at due to the Government's grade deflation proposals. This is not just a question of next year or the year after. It is something that will have an impact on young people for the rest of their lives. An email from one worried parent put the problem very well. It stated that the students between 2020 and 2024 had a massive advantage over any other leaving cert students they competed against. According to the email, in 2024, average grade inflation was 7.5% while in 2025 it will be lowered to 5.5% and, therefore, the class of 2025 will get approximately 15 or 16 points fewer than last year's class. The email stated that there was an unprecedented number of CAO applicants from previous years - one in four and that, since 25% of this year's CAO applicants would have a huge advantage over the 75% of leaving cert students sitting the exams in June 2025, students from this year would miss out on places they should be offered if the Department did not address this urgently.
I cannot understand how the Minister of State is going to stand over this unfairness, how he cannot see the problem that is here or the many potential solutions that are being suggested that will not unfairly disadvantage anyone. It is obviously unfair for this year's students to be marked harder than last year's but it is also unfair if students from previous years, who were told they got a certain number of points, were to have those points reduced, especially when they were never warned this could happen. I propose a more radical solution, which is the same radical solution we have been proposing since the start of the Covid crisis, namely, that there would be open access to university for all. On the radio last week, the Minister said that 80% to 90% of students get their top choice. Would it be so onerous to invest so that all of them get it?
Like Deputy Murphy and I am sure many others, we have seen numerous emails coming in from parents worried about how this is going to affect their children. In 2021, 1,300 students received a maximum of 625 CAO points, which I am sure everybody knows is an extremely difficult thing to do. That was more than double the number in 2020 and nearly six times the figures from 2019. Now we are in a situation where we have students who are achieving the top points. With the maximum points reached and only a certain number of course places, there is nowhere for them to go, so it ends up in a lottery. I am concerned about those students who are on the HEAR and DARE programmes. If grades are being inflated and these students are not reaching the level they could reach - not because of their ability, but due to the inflation - are they at a bit of a disadvantage? I am concerned as to how all of this has affected those students over the past number of years. When we are raising the bar so high, it is difficult for everybody to get there.
For students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and those with educational needs, for example, dyslexia and dyscalculia, those programmes are vital to them reaching their points. Unfortunately, our education system only really allows for people to learn in a particular way when it comes to the leaving cert. Sometimes, those students who can learn in a particular way will do excellently and for others it does not really work for how their learning styles and knowledge base can be examined. We are getting numerous emails from parents regarding this issue and we are looking, like Deputy Murphy, for fair assessments, expanded college places and at ways of assessing our students in a more equitable way.
I thank the Deputies for the question. It gives me an opportunity to outline the issue from the side of the Department. It is under the remit of the Minister, Deputy McEntee in this regard.
I am conscious that the leaving certificate can be a very stressful time for students and their families. This includes the stress of the examinations themselves and the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education. Following the implementation of calculated grades in 2020 and the dual approach of examinations and accredited grades in 2021, two types of intervention have been implemented in recent years. These are the adjustments to examination and assessments arrangements and a post-marking adjustment to outcomes. The first of these - the adjustments to assessment arrangements - assisted students by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations while incorporating additional choice for students.
In some cases, the adjustment measures provide more time for tuition, for example, by reducing preparation work for practical examinations. The adjustments to the assessment arrangements have been applied in recent years and will continue to apply in the 2025 leaving certificate year. The second intervention, the post-mapping adjustments, has ensured the results in the aggregate have remained the same as an average since 2021. Aggregated grades rose significantly in 2020 by 4.4 percentage points and by a further 2.6 percentage points in 2021.
It is widely recognised we must return towards pre-pandemic levels. In April 2024, it was announced by the then Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, that this would be done gradually in line with the commitment that there would be no cliff edge in overall results. In 2025, the State Examinations Commission, SEC, will again apply a post-marking adjustment after all markings are completed. This will bring results in the aggregate to the point broadly midway between 2020 and 2021 levels, resulting in the aggregate for 2025 being expected to be above the 2019 levels by at least 5.5 percentage points on average. This return will be done in a gradual way to minimise the impact on students so far as is possible.
The CAO system is distinct from operations and accreditations of the leaving certificate by the State Examinations Commission and access to higher education is a matter for the Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. My Department is working closely with the Department for further and higher education, which has emphasised it is strongly committed to supporting students, as evidenced in the creation of additional places in several high-demand courses in recent years. These additional places have been created in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and the therapy disciplines, among others. I have been advised that further additionalities in place for 2025 include a new programme in dentistry.
The Department has also been advised the proportion of higher education entrants who complete their leaving certificate the previous year is typically approximately 13%. There currently are no indications of a significant variation this year in the proportion of students applying with pre-2025 leaving certificate results when compared to previous years.
Does the Minister of State accept there is an unfairness here? There are students this year who, with a given set of results, will not achieve a college place they would have achieved last year or the year before or whatever. There is a fundamental unfairness here. I accept that within this artificial scarcity - an effectively fake market being created for the points system - it is difficult to have solutions that do not unfairly disadvantage someone but that entirely gets to the point that the problem is a lack of investment in our third level system. We have a much lower percentage of GDP in third level education than other EU countries and then there is this artificial scarcity.
The points system has created a lucrative industry of grinds and private schools, systematically enshrining inequality in our education. The answer is to have open access to university and let everyone into university, secondary school and primary school.
I thank the Minister of State for acknowledging the huge pressure students are under. Having worked in education for many years and having my own children go through the leaving certificate, it is a time of huge pressure not only for the student but also for everyone around him or her. It is quite a difficult situation. At what point will we be rid of this system? When will what was put in place during the pandemic period be over?
I am a little concerned because in the previous proceedings, we talked about the need for broadening the base to recruit for special education schools, which are going to need more occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. These are at the higher end of the points scale. When are we going to broaden it out for there to be enough spaces on these courses? As the space in the course dictates the amount of points, they are all tied in together.
As I did not hear it in the Minister of State's response, I will return to the issue of HEAR and DARE. These are vital and those students must fight even harder to get to the points in the way that they can. We really need to be equitable to those students.
I thank the Deputies and I understand their concerns. There are several issues here. Regarding therapies, there are additional places being provided in higher education for therapies and that is a commitment in the programme for Government. It is also an acknowledgement of the huge shortage out there within the State and I stated this in my previous reply.
In any discussions we have regarding the leaving certificate, we must also acknowledge the State Examinations Commission has done an excellent job. Over the decades and in respect of how it has been run by the State, the leaving certificate has stood the test of time in any challenges it has faced. Yes, there are issues regarding how we will get back to where we were pre-pandemic. It is one of the overhanging issues. There is a gradual reduction to get back to where we were pre-pandemic. It is important we ensure everyone is catered for. The Deputy will accept many people have benefited from the HEAR and DARE programmes and have excelled in their field once they went on to third level education. We all will have encountered families that approached us to make sure they could get on those programmes. It is important that we reflect on that and ensure it is taken into account as well with regard to how we gradually get back to a pre-pandemic level in the education system.
It is also important we stand up for the leaving certificate. Yes, there were significant challenges, particularly in the leaving certificate, and there have been significant challenges in recent years because many students did not sit the junior certificate because of the way we had to deal with the pandemic. It is important that we do. I take the points raised but I believe we are working correctly and the information we have been given is correct in respect of gradually getting back to the pre-pandemic level of the leaving certificate.
An Garda Síochána
I will raise a point of order. I say this with the greatest respect for the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, and it is not any reflection on him. He is doing the job he has been asked to do but it was the custom - I acknowledge this is the general responsibility of the Office of the Ceann Comhairle - that where a Minister or Minister of State from the relevant Department was not available, the Deputy would be asked if he or she wanted to proceed. The first I learned of someone from the relevant Department not being available to take this question was now, as I stand here. That is not right and I might have decided to postpone. I would like this to be conveyed to the Ceann Comhairle.
I will point out to Deputy Ó Laoghaire that the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, was here and the Deputy was not.
That is a very different point.
The Deputy has made his point.
It is not against the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, it is against the Department and its failure to provide a relevant spokesperson.
Ar aghaidh leat.
It is important to make the point.
I will set the context first. The small numbers coming to the Cork city division from Templemore from each cohort has been a source of significant contention in Cork for a considerable number of years. On some occasions it has been as little as one, on others two or three and sometimes it has been none. On one recent occasion there was an increase comprising 11 individuals, as against the 96 members who went to the Dublin division.
In the most extreme example I came across, from December 2023, 115 gardaí went to the Dublin division while only one came to the Cork city division. I am aware Cork city is smaller than Dublin city but it is not 115 times smaller than Dublin city by any manner or means. We have challenges in the city. In recent months, we have had some serious issues relating to arson, serious assaults and public order issues. We have a situation now where the city centre Anglesea Street Garda station, which is the largest Garda station and the divisional headquarters, was reduced by 26 gardaí in 2024. This meant the main Garda station - the biggest Garda station in Cork city - lost one garda a fortnight in 2024. The Minister of State will agree that is a very serious situation.
The city division as a whole has seen such pressure on resources that Garda management has come to a decision that four Garda stations are effectively going to be combined into two. The Bishopstown and Ballincollig units are effectively going to function as one unit and Carrigaline and Douglas are going to function as one unit. The Minister of State lives not too far away from Cork. I am sure he knows some of these places and has a sense of how big they are. Douglas and Carrigaline, for example, are two places that have two, what should be substantial Garda stations, are being combined. For half of the month the Garda members are sent to Douglas and for half the month they are sent to Carrigaline. Carrigaline has almost 20,000 people in itself and probably 30,000 if the outlying area is taken in. Douglas has approximately 40,000 people. Similarly, Ballincollig has probably 30,000 in the outlying area and Bishopstown has 15,000 or something like that. These are huge areas. We are talking about one unit being responsible for Bishopstown, Ballincollig, Carrigaline and Douglas. There is significant concern. These are big areas with a growing population. What is actually happening is that the Garda numbers are falling back.
The Minister of State is going to reply that the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for this. However, I would urge him to listen. Dublin undoubtedly has policing challenges that need to be responded to. The Government needs to ensure, and I am sure the Minister of State will agree with this, that the rest of the country, and I am speaking for Cork, needs to get a fair shake. We are not getting a fair shake. It is leading to this very serious reduction in service. People are concerned about the implications for their communities.
On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his work in this regard. The Minister was in Cork last Friday and received briefings from senior members of An Garda Síochána. I assure the Deputy that the Minister and the Government are resolute in its support of An Garda Síochána. We want to build safe and secure communities, and a well-resourced policing service is critical to achieving that. In budget 2025, an unprecedented sum of €2.48 billion was allocated, which is allowing for sustained investment in recruitment, technology and equipment.
The Garda Commissioner is responsible for operational matters, as the Deputy rightly said, policing decisions including the distribution and allocation of Garda members and resources between the various Garda stations and divisions. The Minister has no role in these decisions and cannot direct the Commissioner or An Garda Síochána to allocate Garda members to certain Garda divisions or stations. However, he would like to assure the Deputy that the Garda Commissioner and his management team keep the distribution of Garda members and resources under constant review.
Garda management take operational needs into account and consult closely with local management in each division. Consideration is also given to commitments and undertakings outlined in the annual policing plan and priorities as determined in delivering a policing service for the future.
As of 31 January 2025, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 1,282 Garda members assigned to Cork with 616 Garda members assigned to Cork county and 666 assigned to Cork city. As of the same date, 21 Garda members were assigned to Carrigaline Garda station, 23 to Douglas, 19 to Bishopstown and 50 to Ballincollig. In addition, as of 31 January 2025, there were 226 Garda staff assigned to Cork. Garda staff work alongside Garda members to carry out vital roles in the organisation to increase the availability of gardaí to focus on important front-line duties.
Increasing Garda visibility is a priority for the Minister and it is important to note that An Garda Síochána do not police on a station basis. Policing for an area is delivered using all resources in a community engagement area and supported by divisional resources and units.
This approach is supported by the revised Garda operating model. Under the model, Cork north division and Cork west division have merged to form Cork county division since August 2024. The model was introduced after recommendations from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate and the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, and based on feedback from gardaí of all ranks. The model, coupled with some realignment of responsibilities, will help to deliver a consistent community-focused policing service and allows local gardaí to draw upon specialised services available from the divisional-based units.
I appreciate that. I will make a couple of points and I hope the Minister of State will take as much of this as possible back to the Minister. I welcome the fact that the Minister was in Cork recently. I understand he also met the chamber of commerce and that is a good thing. It is important that the Commissioner meets with public representatives in Cork. The business organisations in Cork make the point that we are all very keen for the city centre to be a place in which people can live, socialise and work. One of the issues for business organisations and for the people of Cork as a whole is the Garda presence in the city centre. It is coming up at that level. I hope that the Minister of State listened to that very carefully.
There is a wider issue with recruitment to An Garda Síochána as a whole. I am concerned that the number of gardaí this year will potentially decrease because of retirements and that needs to be addressed.
Not policing on a station basis and ensuring policing is delivered by all resources came up at a community safety meeting recently. The amount of resource keeps getting thinner and thinner, as was the case when there were units in Carrigaline and Douglas. If the car in Carrigaline was busy responding to an incident, for example, in Crosshaven, the car from Douglas would come up. If there is now only one car between them, and if that car is responding to an incident, then a car has to attend from somewhere else. There is no miracle of the loaves and fishes here. Just because policing is fluid and moves from station to station, if there are fewer units, and that is fundamentally what we are talking about, and four units are reduced to two with one unit covering an area with 50,000 or 60,000 people, which is effectively the size of a small county, at night, that is not good enough. I would be concerned that there are going to be situations where gardaí will not be able to respond to two serious incidents that happen within their unit area, which is effectively two station areas, at the same time. That is the concern that people have. The Garda Commissioner needs to take this seriously and I urge the Minister for Justice to take it up with him.
I thank the Deputy again on behalf of the Minister for raising this matter.
The Minister's first priority is to get more Garda members on our streets, including through increased recruitment. As we see more people join the organisation, we will see more gardaí on the streets of our towns and villages throughout the country and of course in County Cork and in Cork city and all the surrounding towns. In 2024, 36 probation gardaí were allocated to Cork. The Minister was delighted to bear witness to 149 new recruits passing out at Templemore on 7 March last, seven of whom were assigned to Cork. The Deputy might say that is not enough. Again, I will remind him that the Government is steadfast in its support of An Garda Síochána. The financial input that has been put into the workings of An Garda Síochána shows that commitment. I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter and for being so strong and vocal on behalf of his constituents.
Ambulance Service
My two colleagues are standing together with me on this issue because it is so important. It is the provision of an ambulance service base in Recess, Connemara. Tonight, we have had confirmation on paper that tender documents are ready to issue in April. Are they ready? Have they issued? The construction date is July, to be finished within six months. In a nutshell, is that what the Minister of State is going to tell us tonight? This issue has spanned three elections with different colleagues. The former deputy, Éamon Ó Cuív, was very much involved in this as indeed were other colleagues. The people on the ground have worked with us. The reply I have received states this started in 2020. The campaign started way back in 2014. I have correspondence going back seven years regarding the need for an ambulance service on the ground.
I am repeating that they persisted over three elections to tell us how important presenting the figures was. To get as far as we have is success but we need confirmation regarding the dates given the extraordinary delays to date.
I concur with what my colleague said. I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue. I am more recent to the story but I agree fully with Deputy Connolly's relaying of the history of the project and the previous efforts of public representatives to raise and progress it. There are two ambulances in Clifden, which would be the nearest town to where it is proposed to locate this base. Last week, a player suffered an injury at a rugby match and waited 70 minutes for an ambulance to arrive having suffered a dislocated knee. One can only imagine the pain this person went through during that time. Could it be confirmed that the fire safety certificate and disability access certificate have been applied for and approved? This might give us some insight. Our understanding was that the tender documents were progressing alongside that, but there seems to be some delay. It is symptomatic of how long it takes and how arduous it is to progress a capital project.
I concur with what my colleagues said. It shows the importance of this issue, which spanned three different Dáil terms. Colleagues from political parties and Independents have come together on this issue because it is so important for the people of Connemara. It has progressed but I have been advised by the Minister for Health in a response to a parliamentary question that it was expected to be delivered in 2025. I was told at that stage that the preparation of tender documentation was well advanced, it was intended to tender the construction works in quarter three of 2024 and they would commence with a nine-month building plan. This is not where we are at the moment but we do want to know where we are. We want to make sure this is progressed. This is a basic need of a community that has long campaigned for it. We have heard so many different horror stories about people who have been affected in so many different ways. The crux is that the people of Connemara need this ambulance base. It is being progressed but being able to get the information from the HSE has been an issue at times, which is why we had to bring it to the floor of the Dáil. It is crucial there be clear communication that we can bring back. Let us get this delivered as soon as possible.
I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue on the provision of an ambulance base at Recess, County Galway. I know how important this issue is to them. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of Minister for Health. As the Deputies are aware, this Government has a consistent track record of investment in the National Ambulance Service, NAS, with significant increases in funding since 2019. Budget 2025 confirmed this Government’s commitment to continued investment in NAS, with an additional allocation of €8 million for new service developments in 2025. This brings the allocation for NAS in 2025 to €285 million, representing an increase of €117 million, or more than 69%, on its 2019 allocation. Increased funding in 2025 will provide for up to 180 additional NAS staff, including paramedics to support the delivery of essential front-line services, facilitate the expansion of alternative care pathways and the continued development of specialist services such as the NAS critical care retrieval service. Current staffing provision in the county stands at 137 whole-time equivalents.
In addition, there are 18 active community first responder, CFR, groups in County Galway. CFRs are volunteers who are trained to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. Galway also benefits from the emergency aeromedical service provided by NAS in conjunction with the Irish Air Corps from its base in Custume Barracks, Athlone. This service conducted 368 missions in 2024.
Galway is also served by a Pathfinder service. Pathfinder is a care pathway that involves NAS and allied health professionals working together to respond and treat older people in their homes as well as providing the appropriate supports and follow-up care in order that the patient does not need to be transported to a busy emergency department to receive care.
The site the Deputies refer to in Recess in Connemara was previously a health centre and is currently derelict. It is the intention of the HSE to refurbish this existing derelict health centre to provide a stand-alone ambulance base. Planning permission has been secured and the design team is finalising the detailed design, including fire and disability access certificates, with a view to having a stage 2C report submitted to the HSE local estates office for review in the coming weeks. Approval will then be sought to proceed to issue tender documents. My Department is working closely with NAS on finalising a new strategic plan that will be formally submitted to the Department in due course.
The Deputies have raised a good number of points. I am a believer in process. I have given an update on the process as it stands but I want to follow up through the Minister for Health about getting the tender and getting it built. That gives the Deputies an update about where it is at this time. I can come back to the Deputies once they have made additional presentations.
I thank the Minister of State for taking a hands-on approach. There are 11 sentences, two of which refer to the issue we raised. It goes back three and possibly four elections but I do not wish to exaggerate. We have confirmation from the former assistant national director that tender documents were to issue in April and building was to start in July and finish by the end of the year. We have a tiny bit more information into a stage 2 report - fire certificates. When will the tender documents issue and when will building start? At the very least, this is what the group on the ground wants. It deserves a little respect after all its work over three elections for an essential service. We need confirmation of that. As has been said, we were forced to raise this Topical Issue because the targets have slipped so often.
I agree with Deputy Connolly that the content is limited to what is relevant to the specific issue. One line in the reply says that, "Approval will then be sought to proceed to issue tender documents." This is concerning because, as Deputy Connolly said, we all had an understanding that not only had this approval been granted previously but also the tender documents were prepared and ready to go. I hope this term can be changed from approval to a date for when it will happen.
Another issue that arises concerns the Air Corps base in Custume Barracks in Athlone. I read yesterday in a newspaper that this is to change, which gives me some concern for the west because we will require a facility like that to service the west.
I appreciate the Minister of State's response and how genuine it was. I think the other Deputies will agree we saw progress when we raised it as a Topical Issue a number of years ago with former Minister of State, Anne Rabbitte. She took it upon herself to get things moving, so that shows the role the Minister of State can play in this. Let us hope we can get progress as a result.
I was told by the Minister for Health last July that the fire safety certificate and disability access certificate would be submitted in the week ending 12 July and the preparation of tender documentation was well advanced, so something went wrong. Could we try to get to the bottom of it because it is urgently needed?
The update we have been given is that planning permission has been secured, which the Deputies already know. The design team is finalising a detailed design, including a fire safety certificate and a disability access certificate with a view to having a stage 2C report submitted to HSE local estates review in the coming weeks. Approval will be sought to proceed to issue tender documents.
There were two specific questions. Deputies have been told the stage 2C report support will be submitted to HSE local estates for review in the coming weeks and asked when that will happen. Following on from that, I referred to the approval process. More particularly, there were questions about when this will go out to tender and get to a point where the appointment of the contractor takes place, with construction under way.
I will revert to the Minister for Health, under whom this falls, to get responses to those specific points. The process is under way. The TDs for the area and for Galway want replies on those specific points. If they wish to submit a collective submission to the Minister and Department, we can also follow up on that. Perhaps they might take a joint approach. Deputy John Connolly referred to the barracks in Athlone. We will follow up on that too if he drops a note to the Department and the Minister. I want to be in some way constructive and assist the Deputies in a practical way.
Housing Provision
I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening. I want to discuss the individual county council building targets from 2025 to 2030 and the actuals from 2020 to 2024. The national planning framework needs to be finalised. I have been raising this since I came here and, prior to that, in my time as a county councillor. Coincidentally, a first revision was published today. I hope it can be put through the Houses of the Oireachtas quickly.
The delay so far is preventing much-needed house building because the current plan is based on outdated population figures and is preventing planning permission approvals. Recently, in Blessington, County Wicklow, planning for 335 houses, supported by Wicklow County Council, was refused by An Bord Pleanála because the town plan had not been updated. This update was not possible because the national planning framework had not been updated. Red tape stopped 335 houses in west Wicklow. This existing framework is based on the 2016 census, which is way out of date.
In the County Wicklow development plan of 2022, on which I made 48 submissions, we had the bizarre situation where many towns had their residential zonings dezoned at a time when we all knew there was a housing shortage. Additionally, the new framework needs to allow headroom, which was used previously in zoning guidelines to take account of the fact that many zoned lands are unlikely to be developed for a variety of reasons. It is really important that we have significant headroom in the new plan. Browsing through it today, there was no mention of headroom. I presume that percentage will follow, and I hope it will be a significant figure. The limiting of zoned land to exact population targets means that, in practice, there is not enough zoned land, thus preventing planning grants for much-needed housing. This restrictive and inflexible policy has led to much dezoning in a time of housing shortage.
The current targets for Wicklow are clearly way too low. For this year, they are 1,411 houses, dropping to 969 in 2028 and to 528 in 2029 and 2030. Clearly, that is not fit for purpose. From a national perspective, councils must be closely involved in the delivery of housing. Delivery must be micromanaged. These targets must be drilled down further, with monthly figures produced by all local authorities of actuals versus targets and explanations given. This is the only way to deliver large numbers of houses. The Minister must then meet the CEOs of the councils and the heads of planning quarterly. This method is exactly how a business would aim to achieve its target.
Furthermore, I wish to make a suggestion on expired local area plans. Currently, if someone appeals planning permission that has been granted, An Bord Pleanála will refuse on the grounds that the local area plans are out of date. Will the Minister of State consider giving expired local area plans legal status or extending their lifetime to avoid such refusals until such time as they are updated? Because the challenge is the forward planning units in the county councils, the county councils will have to choose between updating local area plans or updating the county development plans. My suggestion could avoid that resource issue. In any case, the forward planning units need guidelines from the Minister. In Wicklow, some local area plans have expired and I am aware of the same issue in other counties including Kildare and Wexford. How long will this review of the local area plans in the county development plans take? Normally, this process takes nine months. Is there any way we can expedite this? The targets for each town should not be a cap as it currently operates.
I thank Deputy Timmins for raising this in his role as TD for Wicklow. Under Housing for All, the Government has committed to delivering 47,600 new-build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022 to 2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new-build projects delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies, AHBs. The number of new-build social homes in the pipeline continues to remain strong year on year, with new construction projects getting under way regularly. The strongest national delivery of social housing since 1975 was recorded in 2023, when 11,939 new social homes were delivered by local authorities and AHBs, including 8,110 new-build homes, 1,829 acquisitions and 1,999 homes through leasing programmes. Altogether, between 2020 and 2023, some 39,185 social homes were delivered across build, acquisition and lease. The figures for 2024 are being finalised.
On a quarterly basis, the Department publishes the social housing construction status report, which provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for quarter 3 of 2024, while that for quarter 4 will be published shortly.
Recent years have witnessed significant demographic changes. The Government has acknowledged these evolving circumstances and is actively revising targets to reflect updated census information, market analysis and economic forecasting, to which the Deputy referred, in the context of the national planning framework.
Under Housing for All, last year, the Government approved new national housing targets up to the year 2030. The aim is to deliver 303,000 homes in the period 2025 to 2030, equating to an annual average of 50,500 homes and building to 60,000 in 2030. The revised targets were informed by research and modelling by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, on population projections and long-run housing demand. The revised national housing targets will inform the revision to existing social and affordable housing targets at a local authority level.
Following the publication of the revised national planning framework, which was brought to Cabinet this morning and approved by the Government, work will be undertaken to translate these revised national targets into specific local authority housing requirements for planning purposes and social and affordable targets will also be progressed at this stage. Once finalised, local authorities will integrate these revised targets into their respective housing strategies and development plans, ensuring they accurately reflect local needs and facilitate adequate land zoning and infrastructure planning. This process will be supported by explicit policy guidance and methodology provided by the Department to ensure consistency, transparency and effective implementation across all local authorities. The Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, want this done as speedily as possible. Directions will be issued to local authorities in this regard.
Revised national level targets and local authority tenure-specific targets will be agreed in the context of the new national housing plan later in the year. It is essential that local authorities' targets align with their needs and ensure balanced regional development. The housing need and demand assessment, HNDA, and the summary of social housing assessment, SSHA, are the key tools in determining these targets. The HNDA provides evidence-based insights into housing needs across all tenures, analysing demographic trends, affordability data and housing stock pressures. This framework allows local authorities to make informed decisions about future housing requirements. Details of local authority and AHB delivery are set out in the housing delivery action plans prepared by each local authority. These plans have been published on each local authority's website.
The specific point the Deputy was making was in the context of the national planning framework and how that can filter down and be effective on the ground.
The Deputy raised a specific point about local development plans and local area plans. I will let him come back in and then I will respond.
That answer is high level. What I am getting at here is that more micromanaging is required. In particular, each county has a target but I would suggest this should be monitored on a monthly basis, with an explanation sought if it is not reached. This should be done cumulatively as well. It should even go so far as having quarterly meetings with CEOs and the heads of planning and the Minister and Minister of State with responsibility for housing. It needs to be done at that level, otherwise it will not happen.
On a separate aspect of housing delivery, what is the motivation for councils to deliver more housing? I suggested a monitoring procedure as one way. Another way is to incentivise councils, as happens in England. Councils that reach delivery targets could be rewarded with extra funding for infrastructure. This could include parks, sports facilities and other community benefits. This infrastructure should be the norm, of course, but we need to see a clear correlation between housing delivery and infrastructure delivery. I would also like to see a detailed target for affordable housing. This area of housing has been neglected and needs specific focus. The monthly delivery figures should show affordable, private, social and cost rental.
I have other suggestions. Can restrictions be lifted on tiered zoned land? Tier 1 land must be developed before tier 2 land is allowed to be developed, but that needs to be loosened up. Can planning permissions that are due to expire in the next two years be extended? We are in a challenging situation and we must remove all roadblocks to house building. The Office of the Planning Regulator must refrain from introducing tiered zoning. It must look at the bigger picture and support house building rather than having an overly strict interpretation of policy. Can deadlines be put on An Bord Pleanála for decisions? County councils adhere to a strict deadline for planning decisions but the board does not. I know of a planning decision that was due last July and the applicant is still waiting on the board.
The Deputy made practical points and suggestions. I suggest that he follow up on his detailed proposals directly with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, and Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. In my own role in the Department, I am over housing for the elderly in the context of local authorities.
I will respond to the Deputy's point about An Bord Pleanála. Under the new Planning and Development Act, An Bord Pleanála will have to meet statutory deadlines for the first time ever. That was not the case up to now, the Deputy is correct. It will make an enormous difference.
The Deputy raised other points. The Department will be monitoring. The Deputy is calling for additional points on top of that, for example, a correlation between infrastructure and housing. The Deputy has other moves he would like to see in terms of planning permissions. In the context of the Planning and Development Act, there are changes in terms of applying for extension of planning permissions. That will be facilitated. The Deputy made specific points.
I thank Deputy Timmins for raising these important matters. We are fully committed to delivering social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment that is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2025. The overall capital funding now available is almost €6.8 billion, with a further €1.6 billion in current funding to address need. The revised targets and annual profile align with the draft revision of the national planning framework, which provides for approximately 50,000 homes per annum. The target will take account of new homes and pent-up demand.
Now that the revision of the national planning framework has been agreed and published, and noting that it will require approval of the Houses of the Oireachtas, work will commence in terms of working with local authorities and revising their plans in line with the new national planning framework.
It is important to mention that the programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver an average of 12,000 new social homes per year for the lifetime of the Government. We will also engage with local authorities on the individual targets as the work I have outlined today progresses.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 10.55 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 9 Aibreán 2025.
The Dáil adjourned at 10.55 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 9 April 2025.