Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 May 2023
324. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he or his Department are taking to ensure the delivery of 6,000 affordable homes per year as outlined in NSO 1 of the NDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22157/23]
View answerAs outlined under National Strategic Outcome 1, Compact Growth, of the National Development Plan, Housing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of affordable housing to an average of 6,000 homes per year over the next decade.
54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered 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. This delivery will be underpinned by a range of funding supports in the form of the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL), the First Home Shared Equity Scheme and the Land Development Agency's market engagement initiative, Project Tosaigh.
In implementing the key objectives under Housing for All, each local authority has prepared and published a Housing Delivery Action Plan in respect of local authority supported or overseen delivery from 2022 to 2026. 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need were set affordable housing delivery targets and asked to include their planned affordable housing delivery in their Housing Delivery Action Plans. These plans were published on the local authorities’ respective websites in July 2022.
Local authorities now submit data returns and information on delivery of affordable homes in their area to my Department, in the same manner as is done for social housing. The 2022 process is now complete and statistical data on delivery across all delivery streams has been validated and published on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
In addition, the First Home Scheme, which was launched in July 2022, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. 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.
Full details of the First Home Scheme, including eligibility criteria, details of the revised price ceilings that came into effect January 1st this year, and how to apply are available on the scheme website: www.firsthomescheme.ie
Other measures, such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan, are also nationally available to eligible first-time purchasers to make home ownership more affordable.
The above delivery measures are kept under constant review to ensure that both the supply of cost rental and affordable housing is secured.
