Written Answers Nos. 17-33
17. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Aire Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta cur síos a dhéanamh ar an ról atá, má tá, ag a Roinn in ullmhúcháin do threoirlínte maidir le cúrsaí pleanála sa Ghaeltacht; chun a fhiafraí dó ar labhair sé féin nó Rannóg na Gaeltachta le haon eagrais Ghaeilge nó Ghaeltachta maidir leo [53895/23]
View answer19. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta cén uair a fhoilseofar na treoirlínte pleanála don Ghaeltacht; an mbeidh forálacha speisialta do na hoileáin Ghaeltachta sna treoirlínte seo; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [54175/23]
View answerTógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 17 agus 19 le chéile.
Tá Grúpa Idir-Rannach (ina bhfuil oifigigh ón Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta; An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán; agus Údarás na Gaeltachta) ag leanúint lena chuid oibre maidir le treoir phleanála ar leith a fhorbairt do cheantair Ghaeltachta. Tá Grúpa Oibre ar leith ann freisin atá comhdhéanta den Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta, An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán, Údarás na Gaeltachta agus na húdaráis áitiúla ábhartha le ceantair Ghaeltachta.
Ag an gcruinniú den Ghrúpa Idir-Rannach ar an 15ú Nollaig 2022, comhaontaíodh go gcuirfeadh an Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán staidéar ar bun in 2023 ar mhodheolaíocht agus formáid do Ráitis Tionchair Teangeolaíochta mar phríomheilimintí de threoirlínte pleanála amach anseo do cheantair Ghaeltachta. Cuireadh tús leis an staidéar seo ina dhiaidh sin i mí Feabhra 2023. Tá moltaí tosaigh faighte ó chomhairleoir, a bhfuil a chuid oibre ag druidim chun críche, agus tá sé seo mar bhonn eolais do dhréacht-treoirlínte pleanála do cheantair Ghaeltachta. Tionóladh roinnt cruinnithe den Ghrúpa Idir-Rannach in 2023 agus tá rannpháirtíocht dhéthaobhach na Roinne fós ar siúl.
Tá na dréacht-treoirlínte pleanála do na ceantair Ghaeltachta á dtabhairt chun críche faoi láthair le haghaidh m'athbhreithnithe ar an gcéad dul síos agus ansin scagthástáil éigeantach faoi dhlí an AE do Mehasúnacht Straitéiseach Comhshaoil (MSC), agus chun críocha na Measúnachta Cuí (MC). Tá sé beartaithe, faoi réir thoradh na gcleachtaí scagtha, go bhfoilseofar dréacht-treoirlínte ansin le haghaidh comhairliúcháin phoiblí.
Beidh gach eagraíocht áitiúil i gceantair Ghaeltachta agus an pobal, lena n-áirítear grúpaí teanga, in ann a gcuid tuairimí ar an dréacht a chur isteach le linn na céime comhairliúcháin seo chun mo Roinnse a bhreithniú.
Ní mór d’údaráis phleanála aird a thabhairt ar na Treoirlínte maidir le Pleanáil Tithíochta Tuaithe Inbhuanaithe ó 2005 maidir le gach iarratas ar thithe i gceantair thuaithe, lena n-áirítear ar oileáin amach ón gcósta. Tugann na treoirlínte seo deis do dhaoine a bhfuil naisc áitiúla láidre acu a mbaile féin a thógáil ina gceantar féin ar an gcoinníoll nach bhfuil brú suntasach forbartha uirbí ar an gceantar. Tá treoirlínte nuashonraithe maidir le Tithíocht Tuaithe á ndréachtú ag mo Roinn faoi láthair chun comhsheasmhacht a chinntiú le ceanglais agus reachtaíocht nua beartais ag leibhéal náisiúnta agus AE.
18. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on engagements he has had with the engineering sector with respect to certification of specific options under the defective concrete block scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54174/23]
View answerAs you are aware Minister O'Brien commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) on 22 June 2023 which contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related Regulations on 29 June 2023.
In March 2023 Engineers Ireland engaged with officials in my Department regarding the certification of specific options under the Enhanced DCB Grant Scheme. My Department confirmed the 2022 Act provides for a letter of assurance to be issued by the designated local authority, which attaches to a dwelling and confers an entitlement to apply for a second grant under the scheme in respect of that dwelling in specific circumstances. This letter of assurance does not apply where the initial remediation option was ‘Option 1’ (i.e. the demolition of the relevant dwelling and the reconstruction of the dwelling). - It only relates to remediation works carried out under Options 2 to 5 and specifically applies where the relevant dwelling has been damaged by defective concrete blocks retained in the relevant dwelling i.e. blocks that were not removed in the first remediation works.
I am not aware of any specific outstanding issues with the industry. However, my Department remains fully committed to continuing to engage with a broad array of stakeholders in relation to the scheme.
20. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to report on the progress of the cost rental delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54223/23]
View answerCost rental is a new form of tenure which was introduced under the Affordable Housing Act 2021, where rents are set only to cover the cost of financing, building, managing and maintaining the homes. Under various schemes, the State may provide a subvention to reduce the initial capital cost and make the starting cost rent more affordable. In return, the homes are designated as cost rental homes for a minimum of at least 40 years under the Act.
The very first Cost Rental homes in Ireland were delivered in late 2021 and since then almost 800 new Cost Rental homes have been delivered by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency.
My Department provides financial support for cost rental homes through the Cost Rental Equity Loan for Approved Housing Bodies, the Affordable Housing Fund for Local Authorities and the Secure Tenancy Affordable Rental Investment Scheme for all other potential providers.
Indeed, just in the last few weeks Minister O'Brien has approved over €420m in funding for AHBs to support over 1,650 new cost rental homes and I am happy to see a very healthy pipeline developing across all of our delivery partners.
The Housing for All strategy commits to delivering a total of 18,000 Cost Rental homes over the period to 2030, and significant funding is being made available to support delivery of this important new tenure.
21. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage why the regeneration of a local authority housing complex in Dolphin House in Dublin 8 has been dogged and continually frustrated by bureaucratic delays; and when is it now expected to proceed to other phases of the work considering that Phase 1 was completed over five years ago. [53936/23]
View answerDublin City Council are examining the programme for older flat complexes with the aim of developing a long term strategy for their redevelopment, regeneration and/or refurbishment.
Dolphin House, built in 1957, is the Council’s largest remaining public housing flat complex.
DCC, in consultation with the Dolphin House Regeneration Board, are progressing its regeneration.
My Department is working with the Council to progress funding proposals for this important project.
The first phase delivered 100 social housing units, with an additional 28 planned for this initial phase.
Preparations for Phase 2 and 3 are underway including demolition, design, tender preparation and masterplan elaboration.
DCC have informed my Department that there has been a number of delays in advancing the programme. Considerable time was invested in consultation regarding the design of Phase 1b. Over a two year period, a number of iterations and re-designs were required to ensure the proposal matched local residents’ expectations and requirements.
There was an almost three year delay in advancing the demolition of blocks in Phase 2 due to a series of issues in successfully tendering for demolition contractors.
As Phase 2 & 3 consists of more than 500 new homes DCC is required to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) and progress the remainder of the scheme via Part 10 Planning with An Bord Pleanála.
With recent changes to the Public Spending Code and the availability of Section 179A planning route my Department believe that the proposed timelines for getting on-site for Phase 1B, 2 and 3 can be improved upon.
22. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what additional supports his Department provided to Cork City Council and Cork County Council following the floods caused by Storm Babet; if he is satisfied that the local authorities have the necessary resources available to them during such adverse weather events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53975/23]
View answerLocal authorities are designated as lead agencies for coordinating the local response to flooding emergencies as per the Government decision relating to the “Framework for Major Emergency Management” (2006).
The arrangements for emergency management are seen as having worked very well, in particular the responses led by local authorities to flooding and other severe weather emergencies. All local authorities have an established Severe Weather Assessment Team in place, monitoring Met Éireann weather warnings, High Tide Advisories and European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) advisory warnings. Local authorities also have Severe Weather/ Flood Plans in place to support the response to weather emergencies.
My Department undertakes the Lead Government Department role, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to coordination of national level responses to flooding emergencies, where warranted. The Department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management undertakes this role and works closely with local authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams.
Since 2009, my Department has made financial support of over €95 million available to assist local authorities in meeting the unbudgeted costs of clean-up and necessary immediate works, including for exceptional overtime payments, the hire of plant and heavy machinery, the purchase of materials required for the clean-up and the hire of contractors associated with significant severe weather emergency events.
This is in recognition of the exceptional nature of activities carried out by local authorities in responding to these types of emergencies and the fact that the costs of these un-programmed activities could not be foreseen in annual expenditure planning. This practice is considered a vital enabler of the local authority action, providing the assurance that availability of resources is not a limiting factor in providing a very effective local response.
In the context of the flooding that occurred recently and the exceptional nature of the response activities carried out by local authorities, clearly the costs of these activities were not budgeted for within existing resources. Minister O'Brien, in consultation with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, has allocated supplementary funding of €12 million to contribute towards exceptional expenditure directly associated with recent flood responses.
A circular has issued to every Chief Executive in the country, inviting them to make an application with relevant details of the exceptional costs and current expenditure incurred by the local authority in respect of flood response activities. Eligible costs are envisaged to include; hire of plant and contractors for necessary immediate works, purchase of materials required for response and clean-up, staff overtime payments specific to the event and immediate clean-up. A business case may be made for any other costs considered exceptional. As always, my Department will continue to work with local authorities to support them over the coming months, as they co-ordinate recovery and restoration works.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 6th December, 2023, after which my Department will prioritise the processing and payment of applications received.
It should be noted that funding of repair of public infrastructure is undertaken by the relevant Department in line with its sectoral responsibility. Capital costs associated with infrastructural damage, for example damage to the roads network and coastal protection infrastructure (where relevant), are not included therefore under the above arrangements.
24. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will bring in a ban on no-fault evictions during winter months given that homeless services in Galway are currently overwhelmed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54109/23]
View answerThe Government agreed on 7 March that the ‘Winter Emergency Period’ under the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 would come to an end on 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023 as planned and legislated for under that Act.
The Government at that time considered that extending the emergency period would be detrimental to medium and long-term supply of private rental accommodation. That position has not changed. My Department and local authorities are instead focusing on implementing the additional measures which I announced last March to increase the supply of social homes. These include:
• an increase in the number of social housing acquisitions to 1,500 in 2023 to reduce the number of households at risk of homelessness;
• an additional 1,000 homes through Targeted Leasing initiatives in 2023 and 2024;
• amending the Capital Advance Leasing Facility used by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to assist them in their efforts in delivering social homes; and
• developing a Cost Rental Tenant in Situ scheme for tenants at risk of homelessness but not on social housing supports to continue to rent their home.
I also informed Government of plans to give a number of new opportunities to tenants who wish to become homeowners, giving tenants the opportunity to buy their homes, by requiring a landlord selling a property to first offer it to the tenant. I expect that the necessary Bill will be published during this Oireachtas session.
Ultimately increasing housing supply across all tenures is the key to preventing homelessness. Housing for All is successfully supporting a significantly increased supply of new homes, with almost 30,000 built in 2022, an increase of 45% on 2021 and 5,250 homes or 21% higher than the Housing for All target of 24,600. Furthermore, more than 22,400 homes have been built to end-September 2023, with the Housing for All targets or of 29,000 and 33,450 expected to be met, if not exceeded, in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The pipeline is positive and supply is increasing.
In the first eighteen months of the new programme, over 3,000 affordable homes have been delivered to date, supported by the Affordable Housing Fund, the Cost Rental Equity Loan, Project Tosaigh and the First Home Scheme. This momentum will continue as the pipeline of affordable housing delivery is developed and expanded by our delivery partners. In the past month alone, I approved funding of €448m for over 1,900 affordable homes in 8 local authority areas. This is in addition to the strong pipeline of over 22,600 social homes either on site or at various stages of design and procurement.
Under Housing for All the Government is committed to increase supply and protect renters while trying to keep small landlords in the system. My Department is currently undertaking a review of the Private Rental Sector which will inform Government on the measures which need to be taken to ensure a well-functioning private rental sector in Ireland that works for all.
25. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline the changes that took place to the tenant purchase scheme in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53597/23]
View answerThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme. The Programme for Government and Housing for All commit to maintaining the right of social housing tenants to purchase their own home, subject to a number of reforms.
The Scheme was originally introduced during 2016. A review of the Scheme was carried out during 2021 with changes last being made to the Scheme on 1 February 2022. The changes which took place during 2022 included a reduction in the minimum qualifying reckonable income from €15,000 to €12,500 per year. In addition, the minimum period for which a tenant must have been in receipt of social housing supports in order to be deemed eligible for the Scheme was increased from one year to ten years.
These changes were introduced to strike an appropriate balance between increasing the scope for those in receipt of long-term housing support to purchase their local authority home, and ensuring the continued sustainability of the Scheme by not unduly diminishing local authority housing stock.
Schemes such as these are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are effective and sustainable. My Department recently concluded a further examination of the workings of the Scheme and I am currently considering proposals in this regard.
26. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding available for the Energy Efficiency Social Housing Retrofit Programme in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53935/23]
View answerMy Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme (EERP) in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013, over 77,500 local authority social housing dwellings have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €251 million.
In 2021 a new holistic approach was applied to the programme, designed around the Programme for Government's commitment led by the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes, with grant funding provided by my Department for those local authority housing retrofits.
In 2023, my Department announced that funding of €87 million is available under the Energy Efficient Retrofit Programme for the retrofit of approximately 2,400 social homes. Work in relation to the 2023 programme is nearing completion and current indicators show that the original target of 2,400 retrofits is expected to be completed this year. Full details in relation to delivery under the 2023 Energy Efficiency Programme will be available early in 2024.
As notified in budget 2024, €90 million is being made available to the local authority sector for the retrofitting of social housing next year. Funding allocations to each individual local authority are still under consideration and will be announced early in 2024. However my Department has advised local authorities that they can undertake works up to 65% of the value of their 2023 allocation in advance of formal allocations issuing in 2024.
27. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which he can avail of modern housing production methods to facilitate the provision of supply of homes to the market in addition to those already in hand in order to address the ever increasing demand arising from the termination of tenancies or other factors which might make it difficult or even impossible for families to provide housing by other means such as purchase or rental through the local authorities; if he can identify those counties currently trying to face this challenge with a view to increasing the supply within months rather than years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54106/23]
View answer67. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to what extent is the use of modern methods of construction used in the provision of housing under the Government’s Housing for All Programme; how many of these have been delivered; what is the future direction of the Department in relation to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54059/23]
View answerI 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.
28. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to advise what affordable housing schemes are planned for counties Roscommon and Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53470/23]
View answer55. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the provision of both social and affordable housing in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53848/23]
View answer88. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update in relation to the provision of affordable housing in Galway; when affordable housing will be available for purchase in Galway, and when people will be able to register their interest for it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54110/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 55 and 88 together.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing, and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026.
Each local authority has prepared its own 5 year Housing Delivery Action Plan setting out their social and affordable housing delivery plans. 18 local authorities, including Carlow, Galway City and Galway County Councils, were asked to include planned affordable housing delivery in their Plans, in line with the five-year Affordable Housing delivery targets assigned in March 2022. The plans for Carlow, Galway City, Galway County and Roscommon are available on the websites of the local authorities concerned.
Roscommon County Council does not have affordable housing delivery target as the assessed level of affordably constrained need is not high, as house prices are below the national median. The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) is available to all local authorities to assist in responding to localised affordability need where it occurs. Roscommon has not applied for AHF assistance to date. Assistance with developing schemes is available from my Department, the Housing Agency and the Local Government Management Agency if required.
I anticipate that the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which includes funding for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Ready to Build Scheme, will prove valuable in addressing overall affordability needs in Carlow, Galway City, Galway County and Roscommon which all have vacant homes officers in place who can assist the public with bringing vacant homes back into use, with up to €70,000 in grant support available to do so.
Comprehensive programme level statistics covering social and affordable housing delivery programmes are published quarterly. Data up to and including the first two quarters of 2023 is published on my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/. The Affordable Delivery reports include First Home scheme data and Carlow, Galway City, Galway County and Roscommon have seen good early signs of take-up.
Significant progress is being made to deliver the Government's ambitious social and affordable housing targets under Housing for All, and my Department is working to further accelerate delivery with local authorities, AHBs, the LDA, and via the First Home scheme.
29. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans for the restructuring and resourcing of An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53917/23]
View answerAn Bord Pleanála (the Board) is the national independent statutory body with responsibility for the determination of planning appeals and direct applications for strategic infrastructure and other developments under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and certain other Acts.
The Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Act 2022, which was signed into law in December 2022, addressed certain initial matters which required immediate action on foot of the Action Plan for An Bord Pleanála, Phase 1 of the Office of the Planning Regulator Review of An Bord Pleanála, and other matters relating to addressing board vacancies and addressing the Board’s caseload, including:
• Increasing the limit on the maximum number of members of the Board from 10 to 15, so as to ensure that the increasing caseload can be managed, and the appropriate quorums and suitable allocation of casefiles can be assured, and
• Expanding the provision to appoint temporary ordinary board members to allow for the appointment of serving or former civil servants, public servants, or employees of the Board for a term of up to a year.
The total number of Board members in An Bord Pleanála is now 15, the maximum provided for under the legislation and the greatest number of serving Board members ever. The recruitment processes for both the appointment of a full-term Chairperson and full-term board members are currently ongoing and are due to be completed in Q1 2024. Temporary board members may continue to be appointed in the interim as vacancies arise.
As of the 31 October 2023 there are 249 people, including Board Members working in An Bord Pleanála, more than any time previously. Since October 2021, my Department has agreed to 117 new staffing posts (93 of these within the last 12 months) in the Board, as detailed below.
• In October 2021, my Department approved an additional 24 posts across a range of technical and administrative grades including the setting up of a new Marine and Climate Unit.
• In December 2022, 34 additional posts were sanctioned, and the Board is in the process of filling these positions.
• In April 2023, the Board submitted sanction requests for a total of 59 new posts, all of which were approved by my Department.
It is intended that when all the approved posts are filled, over 300 people will be employed by the Board. This will represent an increase in the overall agreed staffing at An Bord Pleanála to in excess of 50% since before 2021.
The Planning and Development Bill 2023 provides for the introduction of statutory mandatory timelines for all consent processes, including appeals and consent applications made to An Bord Pleanála. Timelines for the Board will be introduced on a phased basis, starting with those for Strategic Infrastructure Developments (including energy and transport projects).
The Bill also outlines the proposed new structure for the Board. The new Bill contains a number of provisions reflecting this new organisational structure and will clearly outline the separate roles of:-
• Planning Commissioners - who will be responsible for all decision making regarding appeals and applications made and they will be overseen by a newly created position of Chief Planning Commissioner.
• The Governing Board - which will be responsible for the governance and organisation.
• Corporate Spine – will provide support to all of the organisations and functions will be overseen by a Chief Executive Officer.
30. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he would introduce a weighted system into the scheme of letting priorities for allocations of local authority homes; if as part of this system there could be bonus points for people who work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54203/23]
View answerThe allocation of local authority dwellings, including the prioritisation of certain categories of households, is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with their allocation scheme made under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations.
This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function of Elected Members, to make an allocation scheme which specifies, among other things, the manner of, and the order of priority for, the allocation of dwellings to households on the housing and transfer lists.
Decisions on the allocation of social housing support are a matter solely for the local authority concerned.
31. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage To ask the Minister for Housing for an update on the number of successful applications for the First Home Scheme, and a breakdown on a county-by-county basis. [54215/23]
View answerThe First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and now self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie.
The First Home Scheme DAC is fully responsible for the operation of the First Home Scheme on behalf of all shareholders and, as such, is responsible for First Home Scheme reporting.
Quarterly and annual updates are made available on the First Home Scheme website. The most recent report, that of Q3 2023, is available at the following link: www.firsthomescheme.ie/media/3sohrku4/fhs-q3-2023.pdf.
32. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications received under the vacant homes scheme in each county to date; the number approved and the number where the grant has been paid; the total cost of the scheme to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54176/23]
View answerIn July 2022 I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes.
In May 2023, I announced a revised grant rate of up to a maximum of €50,000 available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and also for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not previously been used as residential.Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a further maximum top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register. This brings the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
The cost of the Grant to date is €4.3 million. This includes recoupment to local authorities for grants paid and administrative support to local authorities.
My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, see gov.ie - Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics (www.gov.ie)
33. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key targets for 2024 under Housing for All; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53974/23]
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 the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. 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.
Housing output projections to 2030 are set out on page 32 of Housing for All. The overall supply target for 2024 is 33,450 homes. This includes 9,300 social homes and 6,400 affordable and Cost Rental homes. The Housing for All plan can be accessed on the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ef5ec-housing-for-all-a-new-housing-plan-for-ireland/
Government has also commenced the process to revise the National Planning Framework, which will be accompanied by updated housing targets, taking account of up-to-date population numbers. The new targets will allow us to better plan housing delivery in the period to 2030, with an updated Affordable Housing Strategy to be prepared in the second half of next year.
Under the Housing for All Action Plan Update, provisional annual Housing for All housing output targets based on ESRI modelling will be published in Q1 2024. Final housing tenure targets will also be published in Q3 2024, following an update of the Housing Need and Demand Assessment tool and framework. The updated Housing for All Action Plan can be accessed on the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/97015-housing-for-all-action-plan-update-and-q3-2023-progress-report/
This Government will continue to focus on prioritising measures to accelerate the delivery of housing. Under Housing for All, the supply of new homes is increasing. In the first nine months of this year, nearly 22,500 new homes were delivered, a 9% increase on the same period last year. Some 31,500 homes were completed in the year to end-September 2023, the third quarter in a row the rolling 12-month completions have surpassed 30,000. The strong uptick in commencements this year has also continued with over 26,500 homes commenced in the first ten months of 2023. This is a 16.6% increase on the same period last year. We are optimistic we will meet the housing target of 29,000 this year and where we can, exceed it.
