If Deputy Durkan wishes to avail of a one-minute question and a one-minute response, I will facilitate him.
Wednesday, 5 May 2021
Questions (40)
Oral answers (3 contributions)
Bernard Durkan
Question:40. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration will be given to an emergency public housing programme in which the private sector, on contract to local authorities, might provide direct build housing on public lands with a view to dramatically increase the availability of housing at affordable prices or on income qualification grounds by county given the interruption of the construction industry due to Covid-19 and the continuing increase in the cost of housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3393/21]
View answerThis question seeks to focus attention on the urgent need to provide affordable and local authority housing to respond to the kind of situation that has arisen in Maynooth and a number of other towns throughout Leinster where the population is growing.
I thank Deputy Durkan for the question. The Government is absolutely committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing solutions are available to everyone in society and this is reflected in the programme for Government.
More than €3.3 billion has been made available in 2021 for housing, the largest budget in the history of the State. This year alone, we are providing capital funding of €468 million specifically to cover affordability measures. This includes €110 million for a new affordable purchase shared equity scheme and a new equity loan facility to deliver cost rental homes; €50 million in services sites funding to deliver affordable purchase homes on local authority lands; €38 million in local infrastructure housing activation funding which will support the delivery of homes on private lands, including many discounted prices; €210 million for lending under the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme; and €205 million to be spent by the Land Development Agency in its progression of housing, including affordable homes. In addition, the help-to-buy scheme is also available via the Department of Finance.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.32 p.m. until 10 a.m. on Thursday, 6 May 2021.