Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
645. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the current pipeline of public housing being supported by his Department in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, by location; including the site, lead agency, number of units planned, expected tenure type (cost rental, affordable purchase, social housing), and expected completion date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36804/23]
View answerHousing 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 an average of 10,000 new build social homes each year and will deliver 54,000 affordable homes in the period up to 2030. 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.
In relation to social housing, my Department 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.
The Construction Status Report shows that there were 17 schemes of 680 homes on site in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at the end of Quarter 4 2022, with a further 14 schemes of 417 homes at various stages of design and procurement. Additional social housing delivery will come from local authority Part V delivery. The Q1 2023 CSR is currently being collated and will be published in due course.
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. The Plans have been published on local authority's own websites and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's Plan can be found at www.dlrcoco.ie/en/policies-and-initiatives/housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026
In relation to affordable housing, 2022 represented the first full year of delivery under the schemes introduced in the Affordable Housing Act 2021, and local authorities have completed and submitted to my Department data returns on delivery of affordable homes in their area, in the same manner as is done for social housing. The full 2022 statistical data is published on the Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.
The data on the affordable housing delivery for Q1 2023 is currently being validated and I expect that my Department will be in a position to report on this soon.
This momentum will continue with delivery increasing this year. A strong pipeline of affordable housing delivery is in place and under continuous development by local authorities, by Approved Housing Bodies using the Cost Rental Equity Loan, and by the Land Development Agency. An example of this is that construction is well underway of the development of 597 new homes at Shanganagh, Co. Dublin. This project is being delivered by the LDA, in partnership with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, and will be devoted completely to affordable and social homes with the first units expected to be completed in 2024. In addition, permission has been granted for 852 new homes on the former Central Mental Hospital Site in Dundrum, Co. Dublin.
In addition, the First Home Scheme, launched on 7 July 2022, continues to support first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model and is available nationwide. Full details of the First Home Scheme are available at: www.firsthomescheme.ie
