Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 April 2024
23. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline plans to utilise State owned land and modular homes to address the homeless crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15701/24]
View answerModern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address the different housing needs in Ireland and methods to support the development of MMC in Ireland are set out in Housing for All.
MMC is the term used to describe a range of manufacturing and innovative construction alternatives to traditional construction, including modular construction. MMC has the potential to boost productivity, increase efficiency and improve sustainability in the construction sector.
The co-ordination of initiatives to promote MMC adoption is being led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), through the inter-departmental MMC Leadership and Integration Group.
These initiatives include the Accelerated Social Housing Delivery programme; the Roadmap for increased adoption of MMC in Public Housing; the Construct Innovate Technology Centre; the National Demonstration Park for MMC, and training for industry and public sector professionals.
MMC is central to the Government’s Accelerated Social Housing Delivery Programme. This programme is being led by my Department and will see the delivery by 13 local authorities of at least 1,500 social homes using Modern methods of Construction across approximately 36 sites. It is intended to expand the use of the Design and Build procurement approach to enable greater use of MMC in social and affordable housing delivery.
I commenced section 179A of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended in March 2023 providing a temporary, time-bound measure to exempt local authorities from the requirement for planning permission and from the use of the local authority own development consent process, commonly referred to as the ‘Part 8’ process. This measure is aimed to accelerate the delivery of social, affordable, and cost-rental housing by local authorities on designated local authority-owned or State-owned land zoned to include residential use.
My Department plays a crucial role in addressing homelessness by providing a comprehensive national framework comprising policy, legislation, and funding. This framework supports local authorities in tackling homelessness in their region. While my Department provides this overarching support, individual local authorities bear statutory responsibility for delivering homeless services.
