I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 to 334, inclusive, together.
The OPW is the Sponsoring Agency of the rapid build programme referred to, on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), which is the lead Government Department for the emergency humanitarian response.
As part of the whole of Government response, information on publicly owned sites that could be considered for inclusion in the rapid build programme was invited from local authorities and other public authorities. My Department then prepared an inventory of sites for consideration, including sites already in the ownership of the OPW.
The request was for sites which had not already been earmarked for social and affordable housing under Housing for All. The aim of this approach was to add to the overall available stock of accommodation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, without compromising delivery of homes via other schemes, including specific delivery targets under Housing for All, and without diverting sites earmarked for other housing to this rapid build programme. Government supports the wider use of modern methods of construction as part of housing delivery and the OPW rapid build programme is a good example of such methods.
The ultimate decision on whether sites progressed for the purposes of rapid build accommodation is a matter for OPW and DCEDIY and my Department had no role in decisions on individual sites. However, I am aware that some of the sites identified were deemed unsuitable for various reasons, including size, the availability of utilities and other services, location, technical issues and other issues which would render use of sites unviable as part of the programme. I do not propose to publish an inventory of sites as they are not within my Department’s ownership. My Department has to date, received no further requests for additional inventory from the OPW or the DCEDIY.
As previously mentioned every effort has been made to ensure that the rapid build programme has remained a separate stream from delivery under Housing for All, which commits to an average of 33,000 homes being built each year to 2030. These targets were informed by the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool and framework which forecasts future housing need based on a number of assumptions and conditions.
Every local authority continues to actively support the whole of Government response to the humanitarian situation, as are many other public bodies. However, many such organisations do not have a significant property portfolio and therefore could not offer a site for consideration. Notwithstanding that, I understand that the construction of rapid build homes under the programme is complete at a site in Cork and is very advanced at other sites, including in Mayo, Tipperary, Laois, Cavan and Offaly.
