Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 May 2023
340. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of completed houses in the various estates throughout North Kildare, but as yet unoccupied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23986/23]
View answer341. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of sites owned by the local authority in County Kildare currently awaiting development in respect of affordable or local authority housing which might receive expeditious attention given the current housing climate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23987/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 340 and 341 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. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority, including Kildare. This data is available to the end of Quarter 4 2022, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 4 2022. All Construction Status Reports are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/
A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis of completions, locations, approvals stage etc at the link below: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q4-2022?package_type=dataset.
My Department does not hold data on the number of completed houses not yet occupied. The oversight and practical management of housing waiting lists, including the allocation of properties, is solely a matter for the relevant local authority in accordance with the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, and associated Regulations.
A key action of Housing for All required local authorities to develop a Housing Delivery Action Plans to include details of social and affordable housing delivery. The Plans set out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. In preparing the Plans, local authorities were required to include details of land available to deliver housing and details of land acquisition requirements. The Plans have been published on local authority's own websites and Kildare County Council's Plan can be found at kildarecoco.ie/YourCouncil/Publications/Housing/Kildare%20County%20Council%20Housing%20Delivery%20Action%20Plan.pdf.
