Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 February 2024
73. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new houses completed in Longford in 2023; the number commenced; his expectations for 2024 with regard to construction activity in the residential sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6668/24]
View answer74. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the number of commencement notices issued in January 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6376/24]
View answer115. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new houses completed in the Dublin City Council area in 2023; the number commenced; his expectations for 2024 with regard to construction activity in the residential sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6672/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 73, 74 and 115 together.
At its core, the Government's Housing for All plan is about significantly increasing the supply of housing of the right type, in the right place, and at an affordable price.
To this end, the plan comprises a suite of priority measures to transform our housing system, seeking to secure its sustainability into the future and support the delivery of more than 300,000 new homes by 2030. This will see an average of 33,000 new homes delivered for each year of the plan, rising to more than 40,000 per year by the end of the decade.
Securing the level of investment required to support this delivery is critical. Accordingly, the Government is making record State funding available for housing. Some €5.1 billion has been committed for 2024, the highest ever in the history of the State.
There has been a substantial uplift in the amount of new homes delivered since the launch of Housing for All in 2021. The final quarter last year was the fourth successive quarter with rolling 12-month completions surpassing 30,000 dwellings, with some 32,695 new homes delivered over the full year. This is the highest level of new home delivery in the last 15 years, a 129% increase on the amount delivered in 2017, some 10% higher than in 2022 and 13% higher than the Housing for All target of 29,000 for 2023.
Despite the economic headwinds of the last 12 to 18 months, housing supply has gone from strength-to-strength and outlook for this year and next is equally promising. Sectoral forecasts suggest residential construction activity will grow by more than 12% in 2023 and 2024, bucking the trend expected across many countries in Europe.
While commencement data for January is yet to be published, the commencement of some 32,800 new homes in 2023, an increase of 21% year-on-year, suggests the substantial uplift in supply over the past 24 months will be sustained into 2024 and beyond.
Initial forecasts suggest the target of 33,450 new homes will be met this year. Indeed, new home delivery this year is expected to be at its highest level for many years, with some already forecasting that the target might be surpassed by one thousand or so new homes.
And this progress is being mirrored at local level around the country.
In 2023, 117 new homes were commenced in Longford. This is an increase of 250% on the same period in 2022 and it is the second highest number of annual commencements in Longford since the data series began in 2014. Completions in Longford have increased considerably from their low of 35 in 2013 and have been at just over 120 for the past three years, with 121 completions in 2023. If the national trend of increasing supply is sustained, it likely the strong delivery of new homes will also be maintained in Longford.
There has also been a significant increase in commencement activity in Dublin City, with some 5,000 or so new homes commenced in 2023. This is a record number for the Dublin City Council, a 63% increase on 2022 and more than one third of all new homes commenced across the four Dublin local authorities in the year. Last year also saw the delivery of 3,467 new homes in Dublin City, a significant 66% increase on the 2,087 new homes delivered in 2021, when Housing For All commenced.
Housing for All is clearly delivering and I am confident the funding and targeted schemes committed to under the plan will continue to support an increasing supply of affordable housing across all tenures, whether social, private rented or private purchase.
