Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
566. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for affordable housing in County Cork; if he is satisfied with the current level of affordable housing being delivered in mid-Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35689/23]
View answerUnder 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 the First Home Scheme, a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
With 2022 representing the first full year of affordable housing delivery under the schemes introduced in the Affordable Housing Act 2021, local authorities have begun to 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 progress report on affordable housing provision across all delivery streams has been published on the Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery
Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked all local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans to address social and, where appropriate, affordable housing needs in their areas over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. 18 local authorities, including Cork County Council, were asked to include affordable housing delivery projections in their Plans, in line with the five-year Affordable Housing delivery targets assigned in March 2022. Cork County Council's Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-2026, as published on the local authority's website on 12 July 2022, is available at the following weblink - www.corkcoco.ie/sites/default/files/2022-07/cork-county-council-housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026.pdf
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. Full information on the scheme, which is available nationwide, may be found on the dedicated website, www.firsthomescheme.ie.
Finally, the new Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is also available nationwide and it provides for grants for refurbishment of vacant and derelict properties. I also announced last year, a new Ready to Build serviced sites scheme under the Fund where local authorities will provide sites at a discount to people who want to build their own home. Information on both of these schemes is available directly from local authorities.
Significant progress is being made to deliver the ambitious targets contained in Housing for All and my Department is working closely with the local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the LDA and other stakeholders to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing.
