Matt Carthy
Question:181. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current number of persons and families in need of social housing in County Monaghan. [11295/22]
View answerHousing Schemes
Questions (181)
Written answers
Detail on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). The SSHA captures the total number of households whose social housing need has not yet been met and helps better inform policy and the delivery of the right types of social housing support.
The most recently published summary for all counties, conducted in November 2020, is available at:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/970ea-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2020-key-findings/#:~:text=The%20Summary%20of%20Social%20Housing,is%20not%20currently%20being%20met.
The 2021 SSHA process is underway and I expect to publish the summary report shortly.
Housing Provision
Questions (182)
Paul McAuliffe
Question:182. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for affordable housing in Dublin 9 and 11; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12090/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, (3) a First Home shared equity scheme and (4) expanding Part V planning requirements to increase the 10% contribution requirement to 20% and to apply it to cost rental as well as social and affordable housing.
At a national level, 4,100 Affordable Purchase homes and Cost Rental homes are targeted for delivery for 2022. Annual targets will increase incrementally in subsequent years. These homes will be delivered by the Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency.
A Housing Delivery Action Plan prepared by each Local Authority will underpin delivery in the period 2022 to 2026. Dublin City Council submitted the first iteration of its plan in December and my officials have met with the Council. I expect that the final Delivery Action Plans will be published in Q2.
Dublin City Council (DCC) is currently advancing two Affordable Purchase projects in the Dublin 9 & 11 area. Approval in principle was granted in August 2019 from my Department using the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF) as follows:
- Balbutcher, Ballymun, 101 units, €4,140,000 AHF funding approved
- Sillogue, Ballymun, 105 units, €3,975,000 AHF funding approved
The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) has now replaced the SSF and DCC has notified the Department that it is their intention to re-submit applications in respect of both of these projects to be considered under AHF. DCC has indicated that further subvention may be required to make these projects viable and under AHF, as the maximum amount per affordable unit is €100,000.
Additional affordable housing delivery will be facilitated through the expanded 20% Part V requirement and the introduction of the First Home shared equity scheme.
The First Home shared equity scheme will be available nationally on a demand-led basis. This scheme will primarily support first-time buyers purchasing new homes through the private market. I expect that a significant proportion of First Home supported housing will be located in the Dublin Local Authority areas, in proportion to the market for newly constructed homes.
Housing Provision
Questions (183)
David Stanton
Question:183. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 112 of 25 January 2022; if the construction phase of the Midleton Water Rock Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund is still expected to commence in the first quarter of 2022.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12086/22]
View answerWritten answers
Cork County Council has confirmed that the most economically advantageous tenderer for the Local
Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) Infrastructure Project construction works has been identified following a two stage tender process.
Pre-contract correspondence is ongoing between Cork County Council and the most economically advantageous tenderer.
I am informed that while Cork County Council has not yet issued a “Letter of Acceptance” which would form a contract, “Advance Clearance Works” within the construction phase of the LIHAF Project were commenced on 7 February 2022 and have been completed. These works were completed as a joint initiative by Cork County Council and the LIHAF landowners and will enable commencement of the main contract works without delay.
I understand that every effort continues to be made by Cork County Council to ensure all requirements are satisfied such that the most economically advantageous tender can be accepted and the LIHAF works commence next month.
Defective Building Materials
Questions (184)
Pádraig MacLochlainn
Question:184. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the updated defective concrete block grant scheme will amount to 100% redress for the affected families in the west of Ireland; and if he will provide the necessary resources in his Department to expedite the required legislation, regulations and ongoing consultation with the family campaign groups. [11167/22]
View answerWritten answers
I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on the 30 November 2021. It included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn.
Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link;
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/.
As part of the implementation of the Government decision on changes to the enhanced scheme the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) agreed to produce a report on up to date construction costs for the type of remediation works carried out under the scheme. I have received the SCSI report on Construction Costs for the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which was published today, 3 March 2022, and I have now requested that the Expert Working Group on the implementation of the scheme analyse the report and make recommendations on how to operationalise its findings.
In addition, I have formally appointed John O’Connor as liaison to the Homeowners Forum to ensure Homeowners views are represented throughout the practical progression of the scheme. Mr O’Connor is the Chairperson of the Housing Commission and a member of the Expert Group and this will build on his extensive engagement with homeowners to date on this issue.
I intend to bring the final details of the scheme and the required primary legislation to Cabinet in April.
In the interim three enhancements from the new scheme have been brought into effect through amendments to the existing scheme regulations. On 24 February I signed the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 to amend the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 so as;
i. to make provision, in the case of an application for confirmation of eligibility received before the date of the coming into operation of these regulations, for the recoupment of the fees connected with the provision of the engineer’s report without the need for a prior stage 1 confirmation of eligibility
ii. to make provision for the inclusion as an allowable cost ‘essential immediate repair works’, up to a value of €5,555, which are identified by a competent engineer in a ‘building condition assessment report’ and relate to the structural stability of any part of a home affected by defective concrete blocks
iii. to make provision for an increase from 75% to 85% in the value of stage payments which can be recouped to an approved applicant prior to the final grant payment
Question No. 185 answered with Question No. 140.
Vacant Properties
Questions (186, 207)
Steven Matthews
Question:186. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of full-time vacant homes officers that are currently employed across Ireland; the target number of full-time vacant homes officers to be employed; his views on the role and importance of vacant homes officers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11573/22]
View answerDavid Stanton
Question:207. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant housing officers employed on a full-time and part-time basis by local authority to help reduce vacancy levels; if these roles are exclusive to this work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12085/22]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 207 together.
In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that it is increasing the funding made available since 2018 from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum from mid-2022 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a vacant homes officer to support the commitment in Housing for All to ensuring that vacant homes officers are full-time officers. Local authorities have been requested to arrange for the vacant homes officer position to become full-time by the end of Q2 2022 and to notify the Department accordingly. I expect that each local authority will have at least one full-time vacant homes officer working in their local authority. My Department understand that there are currently in the region of 3 full-time and 34 part-time vacant homes officers working in local authorities.
The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of local authorities, including through the important role of vacant homes officers, to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction with a view to increasing the opportunities for residential development.
Question No. 187 answered with Question No. 140.
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Questions (188)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh
Question:188. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the strategic review of the National Parks and Wildlife Service report; the progress that has been made on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11578/22]
View answerWritten answers
The Government is committed to a significant investment in, and a renewal of, the National Parks and Wildlife Service as set out in the Programme for Government. The multi-phase Review which will underpin this process is at an advanced stage and nearing completion.
There are three phases. The first Review phase, which involves extensive research, consultation, orientation and feedback work, feeds into the remaining phases. Second is the Reflect phase, which considers the outcomes of this work and then synthesises the resourcing gains of the past 18 months with a detailed, expert analysis of governance, organisational structures, communications, data systems and future resourcing, and outlines the NPWS’ specific requirements across those areas.
The final phase details the objectives and prioritised actions required to equip the NPWS to continue to deliver on the ambitious goals, objectives and targets emerging from our Programme for Government – Our Shared Future, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, Heritage Ireland 2030 and the new National Biodiversity Action Plan.
None of the component parts of the Review process will be disaggregated or published separately ahead of a Government decision on the Strategic Action Plan for the NPWS, which is the planned outcome of the Review process.
Vacant Properties
Questions (189)
Ciaran Cannon
Question:189. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of voids within the housing stock of Galway County Council; if the number has reduced in recent years; and the resources that he is providing to the local authority to bring voids back into use. [11840/22]
View answerWritten answers
The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.
Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authority's to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.
From 2014 to 2021, expenditure of some €261 million was recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme which funded the return to productive use of 18,527 properties nationwide. Local authorities also provide significant funding from their own resources to address the level of vacancy within the social housing stock.
There has been extensive funding provided particularly over the last two years under the Voids programme which not only catered for standard relets but also for vacant properties requiring more extensive works prior to relet. It is up to each local authority to submit a programme of works based on their individual allocation or targets.
In 2020, €56.4m exchequer funding was provided to bring a total of 3,607 vacant homes back into productive use within the social housing stock. This represents the highest ever yearly spend and the highest number of homes to be refurbished under the voids programme. Within this programme local authorities had the opportunity to remediate long term vacant properties (houses vacant over 12 months) the funding for which was uncapped. Again in 2021, the Voids programme catered for a non-standard refurbishment option which allowed local authorities claim an average of €50,000 funding in this category (no vacancy limit). Full details in relation to output up to and including the 2021 programme is available on the link below.
www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme.
My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area in 2022, however, as result of the significant investment by the Department in the Voids Programme, local authorities should also now be in a strong position to begin the transition to a strategic and informed planned maintenance approach to stock management and maintenance. To that end my Department and local authorities are working to transition from a largely response and voids based approach to housing stock management and maintenance to a planned maintenance approach. This will require the completion of stock condition surveys by all local authorities and the subsequent development of strategic and informed work programmes in response. My Department will support these work programmes by ensuring that the funding available under the various stock improvement programmes are aligned with this approach.
It is also of note that Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock. This will fluctuate over time as tenancy surrender and re-letting of dwellings is an ongoing process. Details in relation to the number of voids are not collated by my Department, however, statistics in relation to social housing stock, at a point in time, are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their Annual Reports on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including levels of vacancy in local authority owned properties. The most recent report, relating to 2020, is available on the NOAC website at the following link:
https://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/NOAC-Local-Authority-Performance-Indicator-Report-2020.pdf
Housing Provision
Questions (190)
Francis Noel Duffy
Question:190. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of cost-rental units delivered in 2021; and the targets for cost-rental housing delivery for the years 2022-2025. [12087/22]
View answerWritten answers
This Government has committed to the development of a new, more affordable, and more secure form of long-term rental housing in Ireland, through the introduction of Cost Rental. Rent levels for Cost Rental tenancies are based on the cost of the provision of homes, rather than being subject to the pressures of the open market. Once tenanted, rents will increase only in line with consumer inflation, remaining stable in real terms, while continuing to cover management and maintenance costs for the properties. Cost Rental homes will be delivered by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and local authorities.
A Housing Delivery Action Plan prepared by each Local Authority will underpin delivery of affordable purchase and cost rental homes to 2026. Each local authority submitted the first iteration of their plans in December and my officials have now met with each authority. I expect that the final Delivery Action Plans will be published in Q2.
The first 65 Cost Rental homes were tenanted in 2021, with 25 at Taylor Hill in Balbriggan and a further 40 at Barnhall Meadows in Leixlip. The latter were completed in December, with cost-covering rents at least 40% below comparable open-market prices in the area: 2-bed houses with rent of €900 per month and 3-bed houses at €1,250 per month. These homes were provided by AHBs and supported by Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding. The COVID-19 pandemic, and associated closures and restrictions of construction sites, had significant impacts on the anticipated timelines for the delivery of Cost Rental developments in 2021.
AHBs are targeting the provision of up to 700 homes through CREL in 2022. In addition, another 50 two-bedroom Cost Rental apartments are in the final stages of completion at Enniskerry Road, Stepaside, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, by the Respond and Tuath AHBs, alongside 105 social housing units. This project is the result of an innovative collaboration between the two AHBs and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The 50 Cost Rental apartments are due to be tenanted over the next few weeks.
Over the period to 2030, Housing for All commits to delivering a total of 18,000 Cost Rental homes, and delivery will incrementally increase to an average of 2,000 Cost Rental homes per year. The delivery of these homes will be supported by funding across three delivery strands: AHBs supported by CREL funding; Local Authorities through the Affordable Housing Fund and the LDA, either on their portfolio of sites, or through Project Tosaigh.
Defective Building Materials
Questions (191)
Thomas Pringle
Question:191. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the actions taken by his Department in relation to the announcement of enhancements to the defective concrete block scheme made on 30 November 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11042/22]
View answerWritten answers
I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme on the 30 November 2021. It included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn.
Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link;
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/.
As part of the implementation of the Government decision on changes to the enhanced scheme, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) agreed to produce a report on up to date construction costs for the type of remediation works carried out under the scheme. I have received the SCSI report on Construction Costs for the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which was published today, 3 March 2022, and I have now requested that the Expert Working Group on the implementation of the scheme analyse the report and make recommendations on how to operationalise its findings.
I intend to bring the final details of the scheme and the required primary legislation to Cabinet in April.
In the interim, three enhancements from the new scheme have been brought into effect through amendments to the existing scheme regulations. On 24 February I signed the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 to amend the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 so as;
i. to make provision, in the case of an application for confirmation of eligibility received before the date of the coming into operation of these regulations, for the recoupment of the fees connected with the provision of the engineer’s report without the need for a prior stage 1 confirmation of eligibility;
ii. to make provision for the inclusion as an allowable cost ‘essential immediate repair works’, up to a value of €5,555, which are identified by a competent engineer in a ‘building condition assessment report’ and relate to the structural stability of any part of a home affected by defective concrete blocks;
iii. to make provision for an increase from 75% to 85% in the value of stage payments which can be recouped to an approved applicant prior to the final grant payment.
Question No. 192 answered with Question No. 140.
Defective Building Materials
Questions (193)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:193. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the pyrite and mica redress scheme making particular reference to the sliding scale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11991/22]
View answerWritten answers
I brought a Memorandum to Government on an enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant (DCB) Scheme on the 30 November 2021. It included an unprecedented suite of improvements to the current scheme. Government approved the enhanced scheme which it is estimated will cost approximately €2.2Bn.
Full details in relation to the changes announced are available at the following link;
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e365e-minister-obrien-announces-enhancements-to-the-defective-concrete-block-scheme/.
As part of the implementation of the Government decision on changes to the enhanced scheme the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) have agreed to produce a report on up to date construction costs for the type of remediation works carried out under the scheme. I have received the SCSI report on Construction Costs for the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which was published today, 3 March 2022, and I have now requested that the Expert Working Group on the implementation of the scheme analyse the report and make recommendations on how to operationalise its findings.
I intend to bring the final details of the scheme and the required primary legislation to Cabinet in April.
In the interim, three enhancements from the new scheme have been brought into effect through amendments to the existing scheme regulations. On 24 February I signed the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 to amend the Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks in Construction (Remediation) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 2020 so as;
i. to make provision, in the case of an application for confirmation of eligibility received before the date of the coming into operation of these regulations, for the recoupment of the fees connected with the provision of the engineer’s report without the need for a prior stage 1 confirmation of eligibility;
ii. to make provision for the inclusion as an allowable cost ‘essential immediate repair works’, up to a value of €5,555, which are identified by a competent engineer in a ‘building condition assessment report’ and relate to the structural stability of any part of a home affected by defective concrete blocks;
iii. to make provision for an increase from 75% to 85% in the value of stage payments which can be recouped to an approved applicant prior to the final grant payment.
Housing Provision
Questions (194)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:194. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new build social homes and new build affordable homes that were delivered in County Mayo in 2021; the targets for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11990/22]
View answerWritten answers
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on social housing delivery for each local authority on a quarterly basis. The statistics are available to the end of Quarter 3 2021 and show that in the first nine months of 2021, 11 new build social homes were delivered in Mayo in 2021. A detailed Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) is published each quarter by my Department. The CSR shows that there were 11 schemes of 88 homes on site in Mayo at the end of Quarter 3 2021 with a further 15 schemes of 225 homes at various stages of design and procurement process. The 2022 social housing build target for Mayo County Council is 90 homes.
The Affordable Housing Act 2021, the first ever standalone affordable housing legislation, established a basis for four new affordable housing measures. These measures will deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to put affordability at the heart of the housing system and prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) delivering affordable homes on local authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, (3) a First Home shared equity scheme and (4) expanding Part V planning requirements to increase the 10% contribution requirement to 20% and to apply it to cost rental as well as social and affordable housing.
At a national level, 2,550 Affordable Purchase homes and 1,580 Cost Rental homes are targeted for delivery for 2022. Annual targets will increase incrementally in subsequent years. These homes will be delivered by the local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency. Additional affordable housing delivery will be facilitated through the expanded 20% Part V requirement and the introduction of the First Home Scheme. The First Home shared equity scheme will be available nationally on a demand-led basis. This scheme will primarily support first-time buyers purchasing new homes through the private market. It is anticipated this scheme will be open for applications in the second half of this year. The national 2022 target delivery for the First Home Scheme is 1,750.
Question No. 195 answered with Question No. 140.
Question No. 196 answered with Question No. 146.
Rental Sector
Questions (197)
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:197. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the justification for the continuation of virtual rental inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11859/22]
View answerWritten answers
Given the need for inspectors to enter tenants’ homes, pandemic restrictions have greatly impacted on rental inspection activity since March 2020. The County and City Management Association’s (CCMA) Local Authority Services Frameworks for Future Covid-19 Pandemic Response did not permit on-site rental inspections for long periods in 2020 and 2021. This was in order to protect tenants, landlords and inspectors. Even when restrictions were relaxed there was still a reluctance on the part of some tenants to allow authorised inspectors access their homes. Inspections have been and continue to be frustrated by some tenants needing to self-isolate due to having Covid-19 or being a close contact.
In response to the disruption caused by the pandemic some local authorities piloted virtual inspections which my Department supported with Exchequer funding. Dublin City Council led this initiative and commenced virtual inspections in May 2020. The Department incorporated and standardised the approach taken countrywide into a pilot programme, requesting business cases from participating local authorities to ensure that processes are suitably robust and comprehensive.
It is a key component of the virtual inspection model that local authorities reserve the right to conduct a physical on-site inspection when it is safe to do so and landlords were advised accordingly. Many rented dwellings have been subsequently re-inspected physically, since pandemic restrictions have eased.
Since the CCMA allowed the resumption of on-site inspections in July 2021 many councils participating in the pilot programmes ceased virtual inspections, but a number have continued to undertake some. Q4 2021 inspection data is currently being collated and verified but indications are that virtual inspections accounted for circa 5% of all inspections undertaken in that period.
As set down in Housing for All I envisage virtual inspections playing an important supporting role to the traditional on-site inspection regime, with on-site inspections accounting for the majority of inspections undertaken. I believe that the potential offered by a virtual inspection approach needs to be fully explored. This is being progressed through an ongoing process of evaluation by my Department of the sector's experience with virtual inspections since 2020.
Question No. 198 answered with Question No. 134.
Question No. 199 answered with Question No. 144.
Housing Policy
Questions (200)
Brendan Griffin
Question:200. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider an incentive scheme to make short-term rentals available for purchase by first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12092/22]
View answerWritten answers
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing over the next decade. Greater supply will be key to meeting demand, helping moderate property price increases, and addressing affordability pressures facing renters, homeowners and potential buyers in the coming years.
Housing for All includes unprecedented direct investment in social and affordable housing; reforms to ensure availability of land, removal of obstacles to and supporting viability of development; and, ensuring there is sufficient investment and capacity to support construction.
Housing for All has a range of measures in place to support home ownership, and first time buyers in particular, as well as supports for those in the private rented sector.
Significant progress is already being made under Housing for All. This includes -
- the launch of Project Tosaigh to accelerate delivery of 5,000 units where planning permission has already been granted but not yet activated;
- submission of local authority Housing Delivery Action Plans, outlining delivery of social and affordable housing for 2022 to 2026;
- the extension of the Help-to-Buy Scheme until end of 2022;
- the commencement of the Local Authority Home Loan scheme ;
- scaling up of Cost Rental delivery with a further 1,580 homes to be delivered in 2022; and
- legislation for tenancies of unlimited duration to enhance security of tenure for renters.
Regarding short-term lettings, my Department introduced legislative reforms to regulate the short-term letting sector through the planning code, in rent pressure zones in 2019. Housing for All also contains a specific action to “develop new regulatory controls requiring short-term and holiday lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with a view to ensuring that houses are used to best effect in areas of housing need”.
I have engaged with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media to progress this action, and a number of meetings have been held between officials of the two Departments and with Fáilte Ireland, and further engagement is expected to take place in the near future. Funding was allocated in Budget 2022 to Fáilte Ireland which has been tasked with the design and implementation of a new short term lettings registration system. The agency is currently recruiting staff to work on this project. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is also presently scoping out the legislative provisions that will be required to underpin the new registration system with a view to these provisions being enacted in 2022.