Ivana Bacik
Question:422. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the modelling his Department maintains on future building capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26286/23]
View answerTuesday, 30 May 2023
Questions (422)
Written answers
Housing for All Policy Objective 17 is to "deliver the labour force required to build an average of 33,000 homes per year".
To achieve this objective, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has published the Report on the Analysis of Skills for Residential Construction & Retrofitting, 2023 to 2030, a copy of which can be accessed on that Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/10ae6-report-on-the-analysis-of-skills-for-residential-construction-retrofitting-2023-to-2030/#:~:text=work%20permit%20scheme.-,Conclusions,over%20the%20period%202023%2D2030 .
My Department maintains modelling on future building capacity through, for example, the quarterly tracking and publication of residential commencements, permissions and completions, in collaboration with local authorities and Government agencies. This process provides a clear indication of future residential construction capacity trends.
My Department recently published the Residential Construction Cost Study Report, which carried out in-depth analysis on residential construction costs under Housing for All. The Report identified a host of subsequent Actions to drive down construction costs and maximise future building capacity through greater standardisation and the adoption of more efficient residential construction processes across tenures. A copy of the Report can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/2bf87-residential-construction-cost-study-report/
The promotion of Modern Methods of Construction across Government, which is central to Housing for All, has resulted in a number of new policy initiatives (including Construct Innovate, Build Digital, and the forthcoming MMC Demonstration Park). The Modern Methods of Construction Leadership and Integration Group brings these entities together to ensure businesses face a holistic offering from the Government, and this Group is further developing a MMC Public Procurement Roadmap.
In addition, my Department, through the housing economics research programme which is operated jointly with the Economic and Social Research Institute (ERSI) has also funded the development of a construction sector extension of the Institute’s COSMO macro-economic model, which allows for scenario analysis with a focus on impacts on home prices, residential output, construction-sector employment and other important aspects of the sector. This model is in place.
Finally, my Department remains in regular contact with other Government bodies and industry with regard to modelling future capacity in residential construction.