I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 67 together.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address increased housing delivery and methods to support increased use of MMC are set out in Pathway 5 of Housing for All. The development of MMC will improve productivity in construction and increase efficiency in residential construction. The Housing for All Action Plan Update and Quarter 3 2022 Progress Report, which was published in November last year, included a new action to develop a roadmap with targets for increased use of MMC in public housing. This Roadmap was published on 11 July 2023 and is available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/414cd-roadmap-for-increased-adoption-of-mmc-in-public-housing-delivery/
MMC is used to describe a range of offsite manufacturing and innovative onsite techniques that provide alternatives to traditional house building. Modern Methods of Construction can be completed dwelling units manufactured in a factory setting and transported to site, or panelised components manufactured in a factory and assembled on site. All Modern Methods of Construction systems must be of a high quality, comply with all requirements of the Building Regulations and have a 60-year durability.
Last December funding of €94m was provided to local authorities to address legacy land debts. The provision of this funding was linked to the immediate development of a housing proposal, a commitment to use MMC and for construction to start in 2023 or no later than 2024. A total of 26 sites received funding as part of an accelerated delivery programme, and with some additional sites since added, my Department is overseeing a project to progress delivery of MMC projects on 35 sites which will deliver approximately 1,800 new social homes.
Under Housing for All, each local authority was required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan. This Plan sets 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 also include details of the locations and delivery streams for social housing schemes. The Plans have been published on local authority websites.
Work is also under way to expand the use of a Design and Build procurement approach to enable greater use of MMC in social and affordable housing delivery. Details of social housing projects using Design and Build by Local Authority are reported each quarter in Appendix 3 of the Construction Status Report publish on gov.ie. The Q2 2023 report is available on my Department's website at the following link: assets.gov.ie/271276/f04c04fe-b16c-498a-9063-414b9446f4d6.pdf
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 and other stakeholders to accelerate the delivery of social and affordable housing.
