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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 May 2025

Vol. 1067 No. 3

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Homeless Accommodation

John Connolly

Question:

6. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the level of funding he has provided to housing authorities for the provision of emergency accommodation in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24777/25]

I ask the Minister to outline the level of funding he has provided to housing authorities for the provision of emergency accommodation in 2024 and 2025. I understand that it may not be possible to present all of the data here in tabular form but I would appreciate it if I could get that information.

I thank Deputy Connolly for raising the important issue of the funding provided to housing authorities for the provision of emergency accommodation in 2024 and 2025. Supporting individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government and me. Critical to this is increasing the supply of housing. The Government is committed to increasing supply with a record level of €6.8 billion in capital funding being made available for the delivery of housing in 2025. The capital provision is supplemented by a further €1.65 billion in current funding to address housing need. This will allow us to build on the more than 10,500 new social homes which were delivered in 2024, through build, acquisition and leasing, including 7,871 new-build homes. Including HAP and RAS, 20,292 social housing solutions were delivered throughout 2024.

The programme for Government commits to providing emergency accommodation to everyone who needs it. An allocation of €303 million has been made under budget 2025 to provide homelessness prevention services, emergency accommodation and other services for households experiencing homelessness. This funding will also support the provision of supports that households require to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy, including tenancy sustainment services and housing first. In addition, capital funding of €25 million will support the delivery of high quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The total funding provided by my Department to each of the homeless regions in 2024 was €384,999,954, and to date in 2025 €81,523,279 in funding has been provided. As requested, my Department will make this data available to the Deputy in tabular form.

I thank the Minister for the response. I also thank him for noting that we need to develop solutions to make sure that we can reduce this bill as we go forward. It is a very necessary but, unfortunately, very high bill. The figure of €385 million is quite startling but it is very necessary. Of all the problems we have in housing, and many of them have been discussed this morning, the one that causes me most concern is the level of homelessness, particularly the number of homeless children in our society. Outside of Dublin, the west region has the highest number of homeless children. In the west region there are 28 families that have been in emergency accommodation for two years. There is no other region outside of Dublin that is comparable. The figures in every other region are in single digits but there are 28 families in the west region. That is very concerning. It is not simply the lack of shelter but the long-term impact for those children of homelessness. We are well used to hearing the well-worn phrase that it takes a village to rear a child but these children are not part of a community. They are in emergency accommodation which is short term and it may not be somewhere that they will be for a long time. It is crucial that we challenge this.

I have another query about the organisation of homeless services.

I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this very important issue. He has raised this matter with me on numerous occasions and he campaigned on it. The issue of child homelessness in particular is very dear to the Deputy's heart and it is also extremely important to me that we address this issue. The prevention of people going into homelessness is absolutely critical and that is what we are working on. Obviously, there is the broader issue of increasing supply. That is the ultimate solution but in the meantime, until we get supply up to where we need it, we will continue to work to help prevent people from going into homelessness in the first place. We are working on the development of the national homeless prevention framework this year to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness. A key prevention measure over the last few years has been the provision of funding to support local authorities to purchase more than 3,000 properties from landlords to convert to long-term social housing under the acquisition scheme. The tenant in situ acquisition scheme has been an important measure and significant funding has been provided this year for second hand acquisitions, with €325 million already made available. My Department continues to engage with local authorities on the operational details for second hand acquisitions.

I thank the Minister. It is important to note that emergency accommodation and homelessness services are organised on a regional basis. In the west region there are four local authorities, namely Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Mayo County Council and Roscommon County Council involved but Galway City Council is the lead authority. I am concerned that additional resources, both human and financial, have not been provided to Galway City Council to carry out that role. I am aware that staff within the housing section of the council feel that they require additional staff in the areas of emergency accommodation and homeless services, as well as an increase in sustainable tenancy officers. I ask the Minister to examine that. Given that Galway City Council is the regional lead in the west region for homelessness and emergency accommodation provision, the Minister might consider providing additional staff to cover that area.

I again thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of homelessness and especially child homelessness. I will continue to engage with him. I will meet the two Galway local authorities in the coming weeks. I will head to Galway to meet both the city and county councils. Homelessness is a national issue but it has regional variations in terms of both causation and how we address the particular issues. I am aware of the Deputy's data that shows that area is having particular challenges outside the Dublin region, so I want to engage with the local authorities. The staffing will remain under review, but we want to ensure the supports are being put in place to ensure we can prevent people going into homelessness in the first place and that where it happens people are transitioned back out of homelessness as quickly as possible.

Vacant Properties

Cormac Devlin

Question:

7. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to introduce a new voids programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24659/25]

Deputy McGrath is substituting for Deputy Devlin.

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for facilitating my taking of this question. I would appreciate it if the Minister would outline his plans to introduce a new voids programme.

I thank the Deputy. The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new voids programme and work is under way in my Department to develop and roll out that programme. As Minister, my focus is on building on the strong progress made over recent years in tackling local authority vacancy levels, which was supported and enabled by significant Exchequer funding for my Department over the past ten years and in particular since 2020. In total, more than €360 million has been recouped to local authorities since 2014 under the voids programme, which has supported the refurbishment and re-letting of 25,672 dwellings.

Given the very positive impact of that investment it is expected local authorities should have dealt with legacy vacancy issues by now. They should therefore be in a strong position with respect to long-term vacancy and be able to further the transition to a strategic and planned approach to stock management and maintenance, with the ongoing support of my Department. With this in mind, it is my intention the new voids programme will have a renewed focus on prompt turnaround and re-letting of vacant units by focusing only on those works necessary to ensure compliance with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Non-essential works should be carried out under the local authority’s planned maintenance programme informed by stock condition surveys, whereby all housing components are on an inspection, repair and replacement cycle.

While the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is legally a matter for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the approach being developed is necessary to ensure a strategic approach to the management and maintenance of the housing stock informed by stock condition surveys is in place and that vacancies are turned around quickly.

I thank the Minister and welcome his commitment to vacant housing and the voids. The figure of more than €300 million since 2014 is very significant. I very much welcome the Minister's statements on a commitment to a prompt turnaround of properties, ensuring only essential work is carried out so those houses can be re-let quickly and that any other work that is non-essential can be done through a planned maintenance programme. That is critically important. The Minister knows full well nothing frustrates people more than seeing vacant housing in local authority areas. We need to continue to work hard to ensure it does not happen. It was debated in the Dáil earlier this week and the Taoiseach addressed the issue also. It really is inexcusable in a housing crisis that there are properties lying vacant for up to 12 months and in some cases beyond that. I welcome the Minister's commitment and hope we can make progress in the near future.

I thank the Deputy again for raising the question. I assure him the Government commitment is there to ensure we have a planned maintenance programme for our local authority stock. The largest-ever voids programme was funded by the previous Government in 2020 and the Department provided uncapped funding for those dwellings vacant for more than 12 months in 2020. Subsequently it was acknowledged that legacy vacancy should have been dealt with and a more streamlined programme has been implemented to support the works necessary to meet rental standards. We want to encourage local authorities to have a consistent basis of turning these voids around as quickly as possible. Some local authorities are very effective and some not so much. Legacy vacancies should have been resolved. There is little or no reason for these voids not to be turned around as quickly as possible when they are vacated. Works carried out should be what is necessary to turn those voids around, whereas the challenge is some local authorities are taking significant time to address them by carrying out substantial works that quite frankly are not necessary to re-let a property.

As the Minister said, there is a significant difference between some of the local authorities. He referred to counties Laois and Kerry, for example, between which there is a significant disparity. That is something we certainly have to delve into because how some local authorities can do it much faster than others needs to be examined to see how best practice can be applied across the local authority sector. The longer a house is vacant, the more disrepair it falls into and the more problematic it becomes. It is unsightly in an area and can result in antisocial behaviour. For a multitude of reasons we need to turn these properties around quickly, not least because we have a large number of people waiting for properties and allocations. It really is critically important. Non-essential work can wait, essential work needs to be done and we need to get the houses reoccupied. I appreciate many local authorities take the opportunity to do deep retrofits and so on, including energy retrofits, but these can be done at another time. We need to get the houses reoccupied. That has to be our highest priority.

Deputy Ó Broin has a supplementary question.

I thought the Taoiseach's comments on this issue on Tuesday were deeply disappointing. Talking about a "dependency culture" and local authorities asking for "handouts" misunderstands the problem. There are three issues I urge the Minister to take into account when looking at the delays in casual re-lets. The first is the amount of funding per unit is not sufficient in many cases, especially when the stock has been lived in for a lengthy period. The second is the time it is taking local authorities to receive approval from the Department is too long. I talk to local authority officials and it can be six months before they get approval. The third issue is procurement rules are too rigid. Anything that will speed this process up we will support but the Minister cannot blame the local authorities as there is a lot that is directly related to the him, his funding allocations and his departmental rules and that needs to change as well.

Again, getting these voids back into play as quickly as possible is essential. Record funding is provided for the local authorities. There is inconsistency across them; there is no question about that. Some local authorities take the view of ongoing maintenance that when the property is vacated it is got back into a state where it can be re-let as quickly as possible. Other local authorities seem to take a considerable time assessing those properties and some carry out a very large amount of refurbishment work that quite frankly is not necessary. The property just needs to be brought back to a condition where it can be re-let. It should be in that condition anyway when it is being vacated, unless the previous tenants have done something untoward, which is very rare. In my experience, social housing tenants are excellent tenants. We are going to get under the hood in the local authorities where these delays are happening and ensure these voids are being brought back and that the best practice the best local authorities are carrying out becomes standard right across the country.

Housing Provision

Albert Dolan

Question:

8. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his expectations for the delivery of affordable housing in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24661/25]

One of the lead indicators of a country's future likely success is how many young people choose to stay. What are the Minister's expectations for affordable housing delivery in 2025, given it will be one of the key tools to ensure our young educated workforce can stay here?

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of expectations for the delivery of affordable housing in 2025. I also thank him for his ongoing engagement on this issue, which is one he campaigned very strongly on. The Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures.

In 2024, more than 7,000 affordable housing options were delivered nationwide by a range of delivery partners, exceeding the target of 6,400 for the year. Overall nearly 13,000 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All, which is huge progress from a standing start in 2021. Under Housing for All, the affordable housing delivery target for 2025 is 6,400 and a very strong pipeline is in place across our delivery partners, including local authorities, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency and the first home scheme.

Galway City Council has funding approval in place for three schemes to deliver 124 affordable purchase homes. Galway County Council has funding approval to support delivery of 61 homes in Claregalway. Both local authorities have further proposals in development. In addition, approval is in place for the delivery of the first cost-rental homes by an approved housing body in Galway city this year, with further cost-rental homes to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2025 and beyond and to ensure the affordable housing programme responds effectively to the affordable housing needs identified at a local level.

Under the programme for Government, the Government committed to introduce a new starter home programme across the public, private and AHB sector that promotes home ownership and secures long-term rental tenures for young people and fresh start applicants. My Department is currently progressing that commitment and it will form part of the next housing plan.

The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins has visited the homes that have been delivered in Claregalway. It is a fantastic initiative and a fantastic price for people to be able to purchase a home. The problem is that in Galway East, we have not seen a single affordable home delivered yet. I know the Minister is aware of this. We need to see affordable homes delivered in towns such as Tuam, Athenry and Loughrea where young people who are commuting into Galway city but want to live closer to home have the option to purchase a home in those areas. The funding approvals for Galway city and Claregalway are welcome. The price is good and the numbers still stack up in County Galway. What I really need to see is a push. When we were campaigning in the general election, so many parent whose children are in Australia would tell me to make sure we get affordable housing right in this Government.

I thank the Deputy again for raising this question. It is a matter he has worked very hard on and has campaigned on to ensure we can have those affordable homes, which are an essential part of our housing delivery and to ensure we have private homes people can afford to buy, affordable homes people can access, and social homes across the spectrum so everybody has access to a home they can afford. I hear the Deputy on Galway East. I will be visiting both local authorities in the coming weeks and engaging with them to see what more we can do to support them in delivering affordable homes.

In supporting the development of Galway city and county's affordable housing programme, the Department is funding dedicated affordable housing administrative and technical staffing posts, with seven in Galway city and six in Galway county. There are 14 cost-rental homes to be provided in Barna in early 2026, which should be part of a cost-rental equity loan scheme as well. We want to see more affordable homes and will continue to work with the local authorities and local Deputies.

Galway County Council is not short of ambition when it comes to affordable housing. Our chief executive set out an ambitious plan last year. At the time, I was a councillor. We approved loans for affordable housing across our local authority and sought departmental approval for them. We do not lack the ambition. We have the ambition to deliver the homes. In the town of Athenry, the county council is now going for Part 8 planning in the coming months on two separate sites there. There is the ambition. Affordable housing is starting to come to fruition but we need to ramp it up massively. We need to see an accelerated delivery and we need to see affordability continue throughout that system, right across east Galway. One of the leading indicators for a country's likely future success is how many young people choose to stay.

The Deputy is rightly passionate about keeping our young people in this country and providing affordable homes as a key solution to keeping young people here. That is what we want to deliver, and we want to accelerate the number of affordable homes that are being delivered. It is certainly something I regard as extremely important. I am working with each local authority to ensure that those affordable homes are available where they are needed in each and every county. I will continue to work with the Deputy and look forward to engaging directly with both local authorities in Galway in the coming weeks when I visit Galway to see how we can ensure those affordable homes are being delivered.

Planning Issues

Edward Timmins

Question:

9. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how quickly the new housing national planning framework targets will be given to the county councils so that they can amend their county development plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24826/25]

How quickly will the new national planning framework, NPF, housing targets be given to the county councils so they can amend their county development plans? Currently many planning permissions are being refused because the development plan's core strategy has population targets too low. Given this delay, I have seen a planning application for 335 houses in Blessington, County Wicklow, supported by the council and all elected members refused by An Bord Pleanála because the local area plan was not up to date with the new housing targets.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We have spoken several times about this. He is passionate and anxious to see what has been agreed under the NPF translated into the local development plans, as am I and as is the Minister.

The final revised NPF was approved by Government in April and passed by the Oireachtas last week. This concluded the revision process and allows the revised NPF to take effect in the planning system. The revised NPF provides the basis for the review and updating of regional spatial and economic strategies and local authority development plans to reflect matters such as updated housing figures, projected jobs growth and renewable energy capacity allocations, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and a range of other purposes. The revised NPF facilitates planning for the delivery of in excess of 50,000 additional housing units per annum nationally, every year to 2040.

Given the urgent need to ensure that the updated housing requirements can be incorporated into the planning system as quickly as possible to address housing need and demand, local authorities will be required to vary their current development plans, in line with a clear policy direction, which I intend to issue in the coming weeks. The provision of updated planned housing requirements on a local authority by local authority basis will also ensure that sufficient headroom is given to ensure competition and choice is available to those who wish to bring forward proposed housing developments. This is a key priority for us in government. We want to see what has been agreed under the NPF translated to a local basis as urgently as possible. I will inform local authorities of that in the coming weeks.

I want to raise two other related matters. The Minister of State has referred to one of them, which is headroom. The time taken for these amendments to the county development plan is too long as it can take up to nine months. Can we look to expedite this timeframe? To discuss in more detail the issue of headroom, from my experience of development plans, the previous direction from the Office of the Planning Regulator was 0% headroom, which is very misguided. It is imperative that there be a considerable percentage headroom because in practice many sites will not be developed for various reasons. All landowners are not ready to go to developers. In the real world, site development often has many obstacles, including cost, that may lead to planning refusals. I suggest headroom in the order of 70%.

I thank the Deputy. I hear the point he is raising. There is a statutory process in terms of varying county development plans. It is a reserved function of members. We will be issuing clear direction on a local authority-by-local authority basis in terms of the expectations and quantum of zoned land that will be required. There will be headroom. We are working on finalising the methodology around that at present within the Department. It is imperative that we have sufficient quantum of zoned land within our areas to be able to bring forward housing development. The reason we are taking the approach we are taking is that we cannot afford to wait. There will be that direction. The actual varying of the development plan, as the Deputy knows, having been a councillor for a considerable period like myself, is a reserved function of members.

I often see a gap between the way the councils operate and what happens here in Leinster House. The councils need to 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 a large number of houses. The Minister must then meet the CEOs of the councils and the head of planning on, say, a quarterly basis. This method is exactly the way a business would aim to achieve its targets.

I will just mention tiered zoning. In many current plans it is tiered, even when both have access to services. There should be no tiered zoning in these cases because if tier one is not developed, it often precludes tier 2 from being developed, which is wrong.

This has to be a priority for everyone. It is not just for us in here but for every local authority member and executive. We will be very clear in that.

The Minister, Deputy Browne, and I are visiting local authorities. This is a top priority for us and we will ensure what has been agreed by those in this Chamber and in the Seanad is translated as quickly as possible into development plans so that proposals can be brought forward for housing purposes. We will continue to engage with local authorities on a consistent basis in relation to this. They know the expectation is that there will be a varying of development plans. As I said in my initial response, we are working on finalising what that will mean on a local authority-by-local authority basis to bring forward that land for development purposes. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter again.

Housing Schemes

Martin Daly

Question:

10. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated to Roscommon County Council for the tenant in situ scheme for 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24656/25]

I thank Deputy Daly for raising this important question in relation to Roscommon County Council and the funding allocated for the tenant in situ scheme for 2025. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing engagement in relation to this important issue.

The Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of social housing need, including tenants in situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP and RAS and who had received a notice of termination. The other priority categories for second-hand acquisitions are properties that allow persons or families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on housing first targets; and specific housing required for people with a disability or other particular priority needs, including older people.

In total, €325 million has been provided for all 31 local authorities for this purpose in 2025, of which Roscommon County Council has been allocated funding of €2 million. To date, Roscommon County Council has only drawn down 29%, or €585,547, of its €2m allocation for acquisitions. The provision of a capital funding allocation will help promote best practice in obtaining value for money and provide local authorities with the flexibility to respond to needs and priorities locally within the categories of need being prioritised.

Tenant in situ acquisitions continue to be supported and prioritised where other solutions cannot be found for the affected tenants. It is a matter for local authorities to assess the circumstances of each case and decide the appropriate action. The 2025 arrangements ensure a more targeted and focused acquisitions programme. My Department continues to engage with local authorities on any challenges which emerge in order to ensure that tenant in situ acquisitions can continue in 2025 where no other solutions exist for affected households.

I thank the Minister for that answer. I understand that the tenant in situ scheme was a temporary scheme. It was a safety net for people who were given a notification of termination of their tenancy to avoid homelessness. It is important to address the anxiety of people right around the country - not just in Roscommon or in Ballinasloe, which is also part of my constituency - about the possibility of people becoming homeless because of the anxiety around the tenant in situ scheme. As we know, we do not want the tenant in situ scheme to abrogate the responsibilities of the local authorities to build social housing. It is not a permanent solution and I understand that clearly but we are trying to deal with this in the interregnum before we deliver adequate social housing for people as a permanent solution.

I thank Deputy Daly again for raising this very important question. In relation to Roscommon County Council's acquisitions from 2020-2024, the annual acquisitions funding provided for Roscommon for that period was €1.8 million, with €2 million funding provided for them in 2025. During the period of 2020-2024, my Department provided €8.9 million to Roscommon County Council for the delivery of 57 acquisitions. Funding of circa €590,000 provided to Roscommon to date in 2025 relates to two acquisitions and agreed refurbishment works in acquisitions delivered prior to 2025. I assure the Deputy we will continue to keep tenants in situ and, indeed, all second-hand acquisitions under the programme under review.

Of course, the solution to all of this is to drive the provision of housing right through the different sectors - social, affordable and private. I welcome the new planning framework which will hopefully drive and allow local authorities to redraw their county development plans and deliver that housing.

I visited two modular factories during the week. One was in Lidan in Roscommon that produces schools for the Department of education. It will also be able to produce housing. I also visited GreenFrame, a steel-framed modular housing factory between Ballinasloe and Ballyforan which is in south Roscommon and is in a rural area. These people have assured me they can scale up and produce as many houses as we need but we have to address the whole planning issue and the provision of serviced lands. If the Minister is in Galway, I invite him to visit both of those factories with me. I think he will be highly impressed.

I call Deputy Gould. Do not make a speech; just ask a question.

The Minister outlined the amount of money given to the tenant in situ scheme. Two weeks ago, I raised with the Taoiseach and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, the 33 families in Cork whose houses were sale agreed. Cork City Council was going to buy the houses but on 4 April it informed Cork City Council councillors that there was no money left to go ahead. I was told the Government was going to consider it and talk to people about it. Yesterday, I spoke to a lady, Amy, who was meant to be out of her house in February. It was supposed to be purchased in April. She got an email two weeks ago telling her and the landlord it was not going ahead and that she had to be out of the house at the end of May.

There are 44 adults and 26 children who will be homeless in the next couple of weeks if that money is not given. I am pleading with the Minister to allocate that extra funding, not only to Cork City Council but to Dublin, Limerick and Kildare. I have been contacted by local authorities right across the State. They need that money.

I thank Deputy Daly and, indeed, I am always happy to go to Roscommon. I have asked our local authorities to use the full range of options for tenants in situ who have received a notice of termination. Acquiring the landlord's property is one option but it is not the sole option. In some cases, local authorities might use the thousands of new social allocations that they make each year to provide a new tenancy for families they are supporting. These and casual vacancies are a valuable option given the record numbers of social homes delivered over recent years. Local authorities might also use their tenancy sustainment officers to work with tenants and landlords on options that are available.

In relation to Deputy Gould and Cork city, €20 million has been provided for Cork city this year. That money has not been drawn down and only a proportion of it has. I have visited and met with the Cork city executive in Cork city and will continue to work with them.

Housing Policy

Ryan O'Meara

Question:

11. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to expand the provision of modular housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24654/25]

I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising the important question around the expansion of the provision of modular housing. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work and engagement in this important area of housing delivery. My Department, working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and other relevant stakeholders, is progressing work to increase delivery capacity in the residential construction sector through promoting the adoption of modern methods of construction, MMC. MMC is a collective term which describes innovative construction alternatives to traditional construction, which includes modular housing.

In 2023, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, in collaboration with my Department, published the roadmap for the increased adoption of MMC in public housing delivery which was a priority deliverable under Housing for All. The roadmap set out a series of initiatives and policy interventions needed to advance the use of compliant MMC in public housing delivery and remove barriers to adoption. The publication of the modern methods of construction roadmap set in train a live agenda for modern methods of construction development in Ireland.

Under Housing for All, a range of initiatives have already been put in place to support modern methods of construction. These include the accelerated delivery programme to deliver over 1,500 modern methods of construction dwellings through local authorities, led by my Department. In addition and building on this experience, Wexford County Council is currently tendering a 3D pilot project of 22 social housing units utilising off-site three dimensional construction methods which are essentially what are referred to as modular units.

The recent programme for Government contains a further range of initiatives to support MMC, including modular housing. These initiatives include a modern methods of construction innovation fund to directly fund new and existing factories; targets for modern methods of construction use in at least 25% of all State-backed housing; resourcing the National Standards Authority of Ireland to ensure regulatory certificates are issued in a timely manner; and increasing training programmes in modern methods of construction.

I have said before that housing is the number one issue affecting my generation. Whether we call them modular units, modular methods of construction or log cabins, we know what we are talking about. I am aware of many in rural Ireland up laneways or in yards, and planning permission is a major issue. We need to address that. In a rural area, if it is in keeping with the environment, which so many of these houses are, if the owner is from the area and has a housing need, which all of them have, planning permission should be able to be obtained once the house meets the requirement regarding wastewater and water connections, utilities and so on. We have to be able to provide these people with homes. Younger people in particular are have contacted me. They would love to be able to build in rural areas, but the price of doing so is just too high. I see the homes to which I refer as a solution for them; possibly not forever, but in the context of getting a roof over their heads and some independence. We really need to look at that.

I thank the Deputy for his passion and determination regarding the provision of housing solutions in his county and across the country. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, has been working hard and has come up with significant proposals on log cabins. There will be a consultation next week, led by the Minister of State, about that matter, particularly as it is being worked on. We will continue to work across the Department to find the necessary solutions which are required in order that people can have the homes they need where they need them.

I acknowledge the work done by the Minister of State on that matter to date, particularly regarding backyard dwellings or the equivalent of the 40 sq. m extension planning exemption. We need to go beyond that and allow a wider scale. I am not saying it is the entire solution; it is part of the solution. There is a real place for these dwellings at the moment. I will highlight the example of a site in Nenagh, my home town. It is a serviced site owned by the county council. For many years, the council has failed to get someone in to develop the site. It is ready to go and be built on. Companies around the country produce these modular units. I see the site in question as being ideal for these type of dwellings, particularly for single-storey, one- or two-bedroom units. If we think about older people or those with disabilities who have been on housing waiting lists for years, this is a solution for them. It is a safe, comfortable and warm home to call their own. We need to be ambitious, display a sense of urgency and see to it that serious movement happens quickly.

We have all seen modern methods of construction, such as, for example, 3D concrete printing in Muirhevnamore, in operation. Whether we are talking about modular 3D printing or timber-frame housing, we need to see a plan for a significant ramp-up, while accepting that all of these solutions represent only a percentage of housing supply. Could we get some sort of detail on this matter? I agree with the previous speaker that we need to see real movement as fast as possible on the possible option of modular units in back gardens for the small number of people involved. We need to see the detail, and whatever we are going to do needs to happen as soon as possible because people are probably looking for more than what is already in the public domain. When will we see the guidelines on one-off housing and the report that was supposedly with the Attorney General last summer? We know there is a significant issue with people who cannot get planning permission in the place that they live, particularly in rural Ireland. This is a significant issue. We need both a solution to it and a real debate on it.

I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising this important issue. I am legally precluded from commenting on any particular planning cases. As already stated, the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is leading the public consultation. That consultation will commence next month as opposed to than next week. The Minister of State has already completed the interdepartmental consultation process, so his work on this matter is advancing quite rapidly. We are looking at all options as to what we can do to deliver. Modern methods of construction are crucial to ramping up the speed of delivery of homes, be they modular or of any other type. The programme for Government is clear in its significant commitment to the use of modern methods of construction. We are working with the Department of enterprise to ensure that the relevant requirements are in place and that this happens as quickly as possible.

What about he guidelines for the one-off housing?

That is a different-----

That was not part of the question that was asked.

Derelict Sites

Thomas Gould

Question:

12. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the derelict sites levy collection in 2024. [24896/25]

Will the Minister of State provide an update on the amount collected by means of the derelict sites levy in 2024? We know that the derelict sites register and the derelict sites levy together constitute one of the only ways to get at landlords who are hoarding properties and letting them fall into rack and ruin.

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important issue. I know he is passionate about it, as am I. We sat on the joint committee together previously.

This is an issue that the Deputy raises consistently. Both the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I are committed to ensuring that it is addressed. We are reviewing the implementation of the Derelict Sites Act through engagement with local authorities. As the Deputy knows, the Act imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that land does not become or continue to be a derelict site as defined in the Act. The Act imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become or continue to be derelict.

Each local authority maintains a derelict sites register under section 8 of the Act for sites which they consider to be derelict. Sites entered on the derelict sites register are subject to an annual derelict sites levy of 7% of market value, which will continue to apply until the site is rendered non-derelict. This is an increase from the previous 3%, as the Deputy knows. Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department, providing information on the operation of the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in their functional area. The derelict sites returns are collated in quarter 2 of the following year. A total of 1,913 sites were listed on local authority registers as of 31 December 2023. In conjunction with local authorities, my Department is engaged in the process of collating the 2024 figures. We have written to all local authorities, reminding them of their obligation to submit their year-end data for 2024. As yet, we do not have all that data collated.

As the Minister of State said, the latest figures he has are for 2023. The new figures will arrive e shortly. As the Minister of State outlined, there are 1,913 derelict sites on the register. What is shocking is that only one in three have been levied. Thirteen local authorities applied no levy. Seventeen did not collect even one cent. In 2023, local authorities that applied the levies sought €5.6 million in payment of those levies. How much was collected? A total of €600,000. A total of €20.5 million is currently owed for the derelict sites levy. I talk to local authorities. Some do not want to engage with the system. The Minister of State was on the housing committee with me. I asked him what he was going to do. Here we are, years later, and land hoarders are laughing at us and at the people in the communities where they are these sites are lying idle.

As the Deputy knows, enforcement of the levy is a matter for local authorities. I see the carrot-and-stick approach having worked to pretty good effect in some local authorities. What I am talking about is the carrot of the likes of the repair and lease scheme, which has worked exceptionally well in my county of Waterford. About 50% of the national total of repair lease units have been delivered in Waterford, with one- and two-bed units in city centre and town centre areas not being used for social housing purposes. Of course, there is the stick of the derelict sites levy and, where required, compulsory purchase orders, CPOs. The collection of the levy is a byproduct, obviously, but I am sure what we both want is for those properties and lands to be brought back into productive use. They are a charge on that land or property, so there may be a time lag in collection. Where something is sold, it is a liability on that land and is collected by local authorities. We want to see collection happening but we also want to see these lands and properties activated.

Local authorities have a legal obligation to enforce the Derelict Sites Act. They are not doing it. Deputies Browne and Cummins are the Ministers responsible.

It is as simple as that. This is a legal obligation which local authorities have and which is not being enforced. Local authorities also tell me that they do not have the staff or resources to do this work.

In reply to a question I put to him, the previous Minister informed me that he had initiated a CPO activation programme but that no data was collected to see how successful it had been. In the context of derelict sites, in recent days the roof of a cottage in Ranelagh in Dublin collapsed. A total of €140,000 in levies is owed on that site alone. Why was that money not collected and why was there no enforcement? In Cork, Good Shepherd Convent burnt down a few weeks ago. That was the fourth major fire there. There have been a dozen or so other fires at the site. Someone could have been killed. The derelict sites levy is not being enforced. There are two buildings on Narrow West Street in Drogheda that are crumbling and that people are afraid to walk past. The levy is not being enforced.

Thank you, Deputy. Deputy Burke has a supplementary question.

One of the problems with derelict sites relates to title difficulties. Local authorities have a power to resolve this by using CPOs to assist developers. We do not seem to have been successful in getting local authorities to engage with people. If they did engage, I am of the view that many of the issues that obtain could be resolved.

The other issue that needs to be resolved in the constituency and Deputy Gould and I represent relates to Blackpool. Development cannot take place because the flood relief programme for which we identified a need 12 years ago is still sitting on someone's desk. The people who want to develop cannot get insurance for flood relief and have difficulty in borrowing money for their projects as a result.

These are two issues that the Department should be dealing with in conjunction with local authorities, namely assisting people to resolve title difficulties by using the CPO powers and going back to the developer to resolve the title issues and implementing the flood relief programme for Blackpool that was drawn up 12 years ago and that is still sitting on someone's desk, with nothing done about it.

I thank Deputies Gould and Burke. I was going to reference the CPO piece in my response. CPOs are a useful tool to be able to claim title, as Deputy Burke rightly pointed out. We have given significant resources to local authorities under call 3 of the URDF, specifically for a CPO programme. In the context of the local authorities I have visited so far, I have asked why they are not using the CPO process to the extent it should be used. Neither the Deputies nor I want to see properties lying vacant and idle. We want them brought back into productive use. The carrot-and-stick approach has worked for certain local authorities. Some authorities have been better than others in utilising the CPO process. It is important to say, however, that there is a charge and liability where a levy is applied. This is collected by local authorities. We want levies to be collected as early as possible. If a property is sold subsequently, the levy is a liability on it and will be collected at that point.

Housing Provision

Michael Cahill

Question:

13. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for increasing the housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence; if he will provide an update on the development of a policy on rightsizing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24643/25]

Will the Minister outline his plans for increasing number of housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence? Will he also provide an update on the development of a policy on rightsizing?

I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this important matter. The Programme for Government - Securing Ireland’s Future includes several commitments to deliver practical housing for positive ageing. These commitments build upon the policy objectives in Housing for All that commit to increasing the housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence.

The commitments in the programme for Government include: mandating local authorities to find suitable sites for housing specifically designed for older adults, ensuring accessible options within local communities; making it easier to convert houses into separate living spaces to allow older adults to continue living in familiar surroundings while adapting to changing needs; supporting AHBs in developing and managing senior housing with on-site support services, thereby fostering safe and supportive communities; and reviewing and standardising the older persons housing financial contribution scheme. Work on these commitments by a policy group I recently established to explore proposals on how best to progress these commitments is ongoing. Crucially, consideration of these proposals will feed into the development of the new housing plan that is currently being progressed in my Department. Advancement of a broader policy approach on rightsizing - as committed to in Housing for All - is also being considered as part of this process to deliver on the commitments made in the programme for Government.

We are looking at aspects like bridging finance, but, ultimately, it is all about choice for older people. That is the fundamental basis of my policy around providing options for older people.

I thank the Minister of State for that. Rightsizing generally means moving home in later life into housing that is more suitable. It is more usually known as downsizing. It can also mean adapting your home to make it more age appropriate or considering other housing options. The Housing for All plan sets out that the current and projected need for housing among our older people should be made through clear, target-driven local authority delivery action plans and housing strategies. Can the Minister of State indicate what engagement he has had with local authorities in this regard and whether he is satisfied that they are taking it seriously? Are there any good examples that could be used on a nationwide basis?

Housing for All also pledged additional actions, including guiding and informing enhanced design and construction of age-friendly, universally designed homes and reviewing existing grant programmes to assist older people to live independently. Will the Minister of State provide an update on that? How are local authorities ensuring that the voice of the older person is at the centre of any decision to rightsize and that their choice on where and who they wish to live with must take precedence?

I thank Deputy Cahill. He has covered many of the matters I wish to cover in the context of housing choice for older persons.

On inclusion, we have older persons councils - through Age-Friendly Ireland - which very much engage with the local authorities. I am involving all older person representative organisations in the work I am doing in the context of the policy group on stakeholder engagement. We held a stakeholders engagement last week that was very productive.

Regarding policy initiatives, we revised the housing adaptation plans. More recently, these have been expanded. There are areas we still need to look at, however. We have increased the level of the grants and the thresholds relating to people's income.

The Deputy referred to examples. There are many examples. Through the local authority delivery action plans, I want there to be more of a focus on the delivery of housing for older people and on the choices available to individual local authorities.

I have come across senior citizens from Glencairn, Callanafersy, Keel and Castlemaine who wish to move to Killorglin town. They wish to be near the local shop, the post office, the church and the doctor. I have cases where senior citizens in Rathmore and Barraduff wish to move to Killarney town for the very same reasons. I have come across cases of senior citizens from Lispole, Anascaul and Ballyferriter who wish to move to Dingle town. I have also come across cases of individuals in Templenoe and Sneem who wish to move to Kenmare town. This is hugely important. There will be a big take-up if a scheme is made available. I have come across many cases and have made Kerry County Council aware of them. Will consideration be given to doing away with the means testing of older people's grants, disabled persons grants and mobility aids grants?

Taking the last point first, we have increased the grant amounts and income exemptions considerably. For instance, if someone has an income of below €40,000, they get 100% of the grant, the disabled persons grant and the housing adaptation grant, which was previously 95%. Furthermore, we have increased the level of the grants. We are always seeking to ensure that what is on offer meets the needs of people.

The Deputy referred to Kerry. What is happening there can be replicated anywhere else in the country in terms of the desire that exists. It is about choice.

What we want to do under the programme for Government is to mandate local authorities to find suitable sites in areas - towns and villages - to give that choice in terms of public housing to allow people who wish to right-size to do so. I am taking a holistic approach. Local authorities are involved through the CCMA with me and the Department officials in terms of working with the policy group. Ultimately, the key focus is to get a more focused policy around housing choices for older people into a new housing plan in all of its elements.

Housing Schemes

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

14. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to urgently review the cut in funding for the social housing acquisition programmes, given its negative impact on key homeless schemes like tenant in situ and housing first. [24433/25]

Much of the discussion around social housing acquisitions has been on the tenant in situ scheme but there is also a very real concern the housing first programme will be affected. The programme for Government commits to increasing the targets for housing first. Will the Minister tell us what those targets are? Does he have any concern the restrictions on funding for acquisitions will make it difficult to meet those targets?

I thank the Deputy. His question relates to the urgent review of the cut in funding for the social housing acquisition programmes, given its negative impact on key homelessness schemes such as the tenant in situ and housing first.

Tenant in situ acquisitions have been an important measure in the prevention of homelessness since their introduction in 2023. The Government has therefore agreed to continue such acquisitions in 2025 and has increased the funding available for second-hand social housing acquisitions from the €60 million allocated under Housing for All to €325 million through the allocation of an additional €265 million this year. To date, local authorities have only drawn down 20%, or €64.13 million, of the €325 million which has been allocated for acquisitions in 2025.

My Department engaged with local authorities on the operational details for the second-hand acquisitions programme and a circular setting out the arrangements was issued to them on the 31 March 2025, with individual allocations for the local authorities being notified to them on 1 April 2025.

Under revised arrangements for second hand acquisitions in 2025, local authorities have received a capital funding allocation for the acquisition of homes for the priority categories of: tenant in situ properties that allow persons or families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on housing first targets; specific housing required for people with a disability or the elderly; and vacant properties under the buy and renew scheme. The provision of a capital funding allocation will help promote best practice in obtaining value for money and provide local authorities with the flexibility to respond to the needs and priorities locally within the categories of needs of people who need those supports.

Tenant in situ acquisitions continue to be supported and prioritised where other solutions cannot be found for the affected tenants. It is a matter for local authorities to assess the circumstances of each case and decide the appropriate action. The arrangements for 2025 will ensure a more targeted and focused acquisitions programme.

My Department continues to engage with local authorities on any challenges which emerge in order to ensure that tenant in situ acquisitions can continue in 2025 where no other solutions exist for the affected households.

The housing first programme is vital in getting single people, in particular, who are long-term homeless out of emergency accommodation. It has worked best in previous years when it was a mix of new build and acquisitions led by approved housing bodies using the capital advance leasing facility, CALF, and capital assistance scheme, CAS, funding mechanisms. There is real concern among local authorities, particularly in Dublin and Cork, that the changes the Minister made will make it difficult to reach the targets for this year, particularly if they have increased. I know the Minister will not answer the question and will probably just read out the script for the third time, but can he at least talk to the officials in his Department, who head up the homeless services, and to the local authorities to ensure that whatever target he sets for housing first this year is met through a mixture of new builds and acquisitions?

Will there be supplementary questions?

There will be no supplementary questions. I want to try to get Deputy Healy in. He has been here since 8.50 a.m.

With respect, I just have one question. It relates to Cork.

I take the housing first programme very seriously. I engage with my officials daily in relation to homelessness, in particular, which is an absolute priority for me, both preventing people going into homelessness and people exiting homelessness. The housing first programme for people who have particular difficulties is something I am very aware of and have dealt with both as a TD and now as Minister for housing. It will continue to be an absolute priority for me.

Local Government Reform

Seamus Healy

Question:

15. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will immediately establish the local democracy task force promised in the programme for Government 2025 with a view to the early re-establishment of borough and town councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24258/25]

Mattie McGrath

Question:

111. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has costed the re-establishment of borough councils; if he will lead a reform programme to ensure the return of town and borough councils; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15142/25]

Local government is the beating heart of democracy. It was abolished in 2014 by the Fine Gael and Labour Government. When will the Minister establish the local democracy task force promised in the programme for Government 2025 to re-establish local government?

I propose to take Question Nos. 15 and 111 together.

I thank the Deputy for his interest in this matter. Having served in local government for 11 years, I value the role of our councillors and of local democracy. This specific commitment is contained in the programme for Government. I have worked extensively on this since taking up this role a number of weeks ago. Both the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I have engaged with the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, and the Local Authorities Members Association, LAMA, the representative bodies for local councillors, in this regard.

As the Deputy rightly pointed out, the Local Government Reform Act 2014 dissolved 80 town councils, which represented just 14% of the population. The previous town council system also led to a duplication of administrative and electoral terms. Instead, the Act saw the introduction of 95 municipal districts, representing 100% of the population, in 25 of the 31 local authority areas at sub-county level, while area committees operate in Cork, Dublin and Galway, and in metropolitan areas within the Limerick and Waterford areas.

We have not costed the re-establishment of town councils. We are finalising the terms of reference for the task force at present and hope to be able to bring them to Government shortly.

I thank the Minister. The town and borough councils were abolished in 2014. They were replaced by committees with no powers, functions or funding. This abolition of town and borough councils has seriously damaged towns throughout the country, including in Clonmel where we had a form of local government going back to the 1400s. This is a very serious issue. I had hoped the Minister of State could give a timeline for the establishment of the local democracy task force, initially, and for the completion of that work and re-establishment of the councils.

Briefly, I am working to finalise the terms of reference of the local democracy task force to bring them to Government as quickly as possible. I want to see this task force established as quickly as possible. We are working on the terms of reference and I hope to see that body of work as soon as possible to be able to present options to Government for consideration.

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