Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022
357. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the new affordable housing schemes will be rolled out in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15005/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Housing for All Strategy delivers on the Programme for Government commitment to step up housing supply and put affordability at the heart of the housing system, with an ambitious target of 300,000 homes over the next decade for social, affordable and cost rental, private rental and private ownership housing. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
Delivery of affordable housing, in accordance with the schemes set out in the Affordable Housing Act, 2021 and the funding being made available, will be underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans. Local authorities, including Galway City Council and Galway County Council, submitted their Plans to me in December 2021. Preparation of the Plans allowed each local authority to assess the level of demand with affordability constraint in their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment and plan provision accordingly. The Plans are being revised and updated by local authorities in the light of ongoing engagement and clarifications, and I expect that they will be ready for publication by local authorities before the Summer. They will provide a comprehensive overview of projected delivery of affordable housing in Galway.
Funding is made available by Government to assist local authority and Approved Housing Body delivery of affordable housing, for purchase and rent, through the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), previously known as the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), and the Cost Rental Equity Loan. The SSF is supporting affordable housing development at Merlin Woods in Galway City, which, according to Galway City Council, will deliver approximately 85 affordable homes to purchase by 2024.
My Department officials recently met with Galway County Council's Director of Housing and Council colleagues to discuss and progress plans for a number of advance purchase and affordable purchase schemes in Galway County. It is the intention of Galway County Council to make applications to my Department for AHF funding in the coming months. These schemes are currently at various planning stages, and if funding is approved, delivery of affordable homes will be available for purchase from 2023.
The First Home Scheme will be delivered via a strategic partnership between the State and participating mortgage lenders and I can confirm that all parties are working with a view to deploying the scheme by the end of Quarter 2 this year. It will improve access to newly-built homes, below the median price point, by using a shared equity model to bridge the gap between mortgage finance and the cost of new homes. This measure, targeted at First Time or fresh start buyers, will allow purchasers to exit the rental market, help to build developer confidence in realisable consumer demand, and contribute to the recovery of our construction sector following the Covid-19 emergency. It will be available nationwide.
Other measures to allow buyers to access newly-constructed housing affordably such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan (formerly the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan), are also available to eligible purchasers nationally to make home ownership more affordable. Information on these schemes is available at the following links:
www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/index.aspx, and localauthorityhomeloan.ie/ .
