Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
673. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable homes that have been built in County Wicklow in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40390/22]
View answer674. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable purchase homes his Department will fund in County Wicklow in each of the years 2022 to 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40391/22]
View answer675. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable cost rental homes his Department will fund in County Wicklow in each of the years 2022 to 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40392/22]
View answer676. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total affordable housing targets for County Wicklow for both purchase and cost rental, in tabular form, for each of the years 2022 to 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40393/22]
View answer681. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if funding has been sought by Wicklow County Council for affordable housing schemes; his plans for the introduction of affordable housing schemes in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40398/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 673 to 676, inclusive, and 681 together.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 54,000 affordable homes between now and 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
2022 represents the first year of a very ambitious programme of delivery of affordable housing. Significant funding has been secured and is being made available by Government to support delivery of affordable housing for purchase or for cost rental by local authorities, AHBs and by the LDA. In addition, the First Home Scheme, which was launched on 7 July, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model, similar to that employed in the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. The Scheme aims to support in the region of 8,000 households in acquiring new homes in the private market in the years 2022 to 2026 with an overall budget of €400 million.
In implementing Housing for All, each local authority has now prepared a Housing Delivery Action Plan for 2022 to 2026. Local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need, including Wicklow County Council, were asked to include planned affordable housing delivery in their Action Plans. I have also set five-year Affordable Delivery Targets for those local authorities.
Local authorities have recently been asked to begin collating information on delivery of affordable homes in their area in the same manner as is currently done for social housing. It is intended that information on delivery across all delivery streams will be gathered by my Department and I expect that my Department will be in a position to begin reporting on national quarterly delivery statistics later this year.
