Written Answers Nos. 267-287
267. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider setting up a repayment plan using the household budget for persons who has HAP arrears to enable them to continue to receive HAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34134/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra282. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a repayment plan for HAP arrears can be put in place for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34469/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 282 together.
Tenants in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme are required to sign a rent contribution agreement to pay a weekly rental contribution to the relevant local authority, in line with the local authority’s differential rent scheme. As set out in the rent contribution agreement, this weekly rental contribution must be paid by them so that they remain eligible for the HAP scheme.
The HAP Shared Services Centre (SSC) manages the collection of all HAP tenants’ differential rents, on behalf of the relevant local authority, and the payment of all HAP rents to landlords on behalf of tenants supported by the HAP scheme. The HAP SSC follows a clear communication policy if rental arrears issues arise. This policy includes regular and early written communication with tenants, landlords and the relevant local authority.
The approach taken by the HAP SSC has been very effective with minimal levels of rent arrears arising for HAP tenants. In 2019, the scheme had a 96% differential rent collection rate, with minimal arrears arising for tenants or local authorities. At Q4 2021, the scheme had a 99% differential rent collection rate. Therefore, only a very small number of tenants have fallen into difficulty with their differential rent.
During the Covid-19 emergency, the HAP Debt Management Process (DMP) was suspended from March 2020 and partially re-commenced in October 2020. This meant non-payment of differential rent by a tenant during that time did not affect payments to HAP landlords. Tenants were, however, expected to continue to pay their rent with supports available for those financially impacted by Covid.
Following on from the successful roll out of the Covid vaccine programme and the reopening of society, the normal DMP was reinstated from 6 September 2021.
Tenants that incurred arrears during the Covid-19 emergency were given additional time to engage with the HAP Debt Management Unit to clear their arrears, as well as access to payment plans as a specific Covid measure. Under the normal HAP DMP payment plans are not offered or available to tenants at this stage of the process. The HAP SSC has now resumed the standard debt management process.
The National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, was established in December 2021 in line with a commitment set out in Housing for All. At the first meeting of NHAC, it was agreed that immediate priority would be given to additional measures to prevent homelessness. A number of measures have been identified and are now being advanced. Three separate subgroups have also been established to focus on specific areas of homelessness prevention. One of these subgroups is tasked with considering the risk of homelessness for HAP/HHAP tenants in arrears. Each subgroup has been requested to provide an update at the next meeting of NHAC in July and to make a final recommendation/recommendations to NHAC at its Q4 meeting.
HAP tenants in arrears should contact their local authority and the HAP SSC to discuss the options that are available to them to ensure the continuation of their HAP support.
268. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding that his Department made available to Clare County Council in 2020, 2021 and 2022 to undertake arterial drainage works required that the council is obliged to undertake owing to the Arterial Drainage Act 1945; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34210/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not provide funding to undertake arterial drainage works in relation to the Arterial Drainage Act 1945. Information in relation to arterial drainage works by local authorities is not held by my Department and I, as Minister have no function in this regard.
The Arterial Drainage Act 1945 is a matter the Office of Public Works under the aegis of the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform.
269. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has discontinued printing voter registration forms for local authorities; and if this will be resumed in the near future. [34225/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government - Our Shared Future commits to a broad range of electoral reforms including the modernisation of voter registration. Proposals to modernise the electoral registration process include the introduction of rolling (continuously updated) registration; the simplification of forms and the overall registration process, and the use of PPSNs in the registration process. New options to register, including online registration will also be made available. Together, these reforms will make it easier for people to register to vote and update their details, while enabling more effective management of the register by local authorities.
The Electoral Reform Bill provides the legislative underpinning for the modernisation among other things, including the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission. The Bill is currently making its way through the Houses of the Oireachtas and second stage in the Seanad is scheduled for 30 June 2022.
To prepare for the passage and commencement of the legislation, work to update the systems and forms used by registration authorities is underway. The new process will facilitate online applications but paper forms will remain available and arrangements are being made for their printing and distribution. It is expected that the forms will also be available from a number of websites including local authority websites and www.checktheregister.ie.
270. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there is any grant assistance for the installation of play areas or footpaths in the homes of families with children with high-functioning autism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34277/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides exchequer funding to local authorities to support the Housing Adaptation Grants for People with a Disability which are available to a person with a physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability.
These grant schemes assist in the carrying out of works to make accommodation more suitable for these persons needs including access ramps, adaptations to facilitate wheelchair access, etc. It also comprises other works that are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability or addressing their mobility needs which may involve necessary footpath works, however, this does not include the installation of play areas.
The detailed administration of the grants, including the assessment, approval and payment of individual grants to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.
Further details on these schemes is available at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/
271. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the expected timelines for the Electoral Commission to be established; and the timelines for it to carry out the Dáil constituency boundary review, to report its findings to Dáil Éireann and to legislate for the new boundaries. [34297/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government – Our Shared Future - includes a number of commitments on electoral reform including the establishment of an independent, statutory Electoral Commission. These commitments are the Government’s immediate goals in terms of electoral reform and are currently being prioritised by way of the Electoral Reform Bill 2022.
The Electoral Reform Bill 2022, which is currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas, provides for, among other matters, the establishment of an Electoral Commission. In addition, the Bill provides for the review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies to be undertaken by the new Electoral Commission following its establishment.
Under the provisions of the Bill, the Report of the Electoral Commission on the review of Dáil and European Parliament constituencies will be published within three months of the publication of the final Census results. While the publication of final Census results is a matter for the Central Statistics Office, results are anticipated for publication in Spring 2023.
This would indicate that a final report from the Electoral Commission on Dáil and European Parliament constituencies would be expected in Summer 2023. It will be a matter for the Oireachtas to legislate for revised constituency boundaries following its consideration of the final report of the Commission.
It is intended that the Electoral Commission will be established shortly following enactment of the Electoral Reform Bill 2022. Committee Stage of the Bill is scheduled for 30 June 2022 in Seanad Éireann. In tandem with the Bill's progression through the Oireachtas, a transitional team has been put in place in my Department to progress the administrative elements of the Commission's establishment.
272. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 222 of 2 June 2022 (details supplied), if his attention has been drawn to the fact that compared to the 1,421 public sightings, those carrying out the survey only detected 229 hares in the pilot study March to May 2018 and 253 hares during the full survey November 2018 to February 2019 with the latter sightings made in just 44 x 1 kilometre squares around the country; and his views that these facts would raise questions around the conclusion that this suggests a highly widespread common distribution. [34303/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra273. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views that it is concerning that National Biodiversity Data Centre’s average density estimate of 3.19 hares/km2 was 4.5% lower than the 3.33 hares/km2 estimated during 2006 and 58% lower than the 7.44 hares/km2 estimated during 2007 and is the acknowledgement in the report that the number of hares could be as low as 60,000 (details supplied). [34304/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 272 and 273 together.
A national hare survey, commissioned by the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department, took place in 2018 and 2019. The project was carried out, under tender, by an experienced team of wildlife biologists and hare researchers from Queens University, Belfast. The aim of this project was to estimate the current mean population density and the national total population of the Irish Hare and to examine variation in its population across space and time (principally since the previous Hare Survey of Ireland in 2006/07).
The full report of the survey is published in an Irish Wildlife Manual on the NPWS website here: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM113.pdf
The survey involved deploying static wildlife cameras in 44 x 1km survey squares. These squares were selected throughout Ireland to be statistically representative of the country’s overall habitat composition. Multiple cameras were deployed within each of the 44 survey squares. Hares were detected in 85% of survey squares. As these 44 squares were statistically representative of the national landscape as a whole this allowed the researchers to extrapolate their findings to the whole country.
There are approximately 70,000 x 1km squares in Ireland and 85% occupancy of these indicates that the hare has a very widespread distribution. The researchers’ extrapolations were further underpinned by habitat modelling which suggested that virtually every 10 km square in Ireland contains suitable habitat for the species and should be included within its Favourable Reference Range.
The inclusion of citizen science records in the survey was designed to further inform the distribution model for the species. The 1,421 Irish Hare records that were submitted by the public through the National Biodiversity Data Centre supported the results of the camera trap surveys, i.e. that the Irish hare is very widespread in Ireland. These records were not used, however, in the population model which was solely based on the standardised sampling of the camera trap survey.
Using the camera trap data, methods were developed to estimate the distance of each hare detected on camera, enabling the use of distance sampling analysis. Distance sampling is a statistical package developed specifically to estimate the densities of wild animals.
Mean Irish Hare density during winter 2018/19 was estimated at 3.19 hares per km2 (95% confidence intervals: 1.59–6.43) with highest and very comparable densities in the northwest (3.50 hares/km2) and southwest (3.46 hares/km2) regions and lowest density in the east (2.66 hares/km2 ).
The average estimate was 4.5% lower than the 3.33 hares/km2 estimated during 2006 and 58% lower than the 7.44 hares/km2 estimated during 2007. Nevertheless, such was the width of the 95% confidence intervals that the current density estimate cannot be said to be significantly lower than the previous survey. It should also be noted that hares are known to show significant, natural inter-annual fluctuations in population (as demonstrated by the 2006/2007 data).
The mean density estimate from this latest national survey was comparable to the 20 year mean density from all surveys since 2000 of approximately 3 hares/km2 . This suggests that the population remains stable. The national Irish Hare population was estimated at 223,000 individual hares during 2018/19 (with a 95% probability that the number is between 111,000 and 449,000). The other figures provided in Table 7 of the report and referenced in the question (the Bootstrapped Confidence Intervals) are indicative of the extreme limits of statistical possibility and both the lower limit (60,095) and the upper limit (1,197,709) are considered to be highly unlikely.
274. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a person (details supplied) will qualify for the Irish Water first fix free scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34315/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels in accordance with Section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. This includes operational responsibility for the first fix free scheme for addressing occuring within the curtilage of a customers property. In addition, Irish Water is independently regulated by the Commissioner for Regulation of Utilities or CRU who has a specific mandate to ensure that the water system operates and develops in the best interests of the public and customers. Customers who are unhappy with Irish Water’s response to service matters can complain to the CRU who has the power to consider and determine disputes in a manner that is binding on Irish Water. The Minister has no function in relation to this matter for which Irish Water has responsibility subject to the independent regulation of the CRU.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 0818 578 578.
275. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there are plans to make it possible to apply online to be included in the electoral register. [34316/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government - Our Shared Future commits to a broad range of electoral reforms including the modernisation of voter registration. The Electoral Reform Bill provides the legislative underpinning for the modernisation among other things, including the establishment of an independent Electoral Commission. The Bill is currently making its way through the Houses of the Oireachtas and Second Stage in the Seanad is scheduled for 30 June 2022.
The modernisation will include the introduction of rolling (continuously updated) registration; the simplification of forms and the overall registration process, and the use of PPSNs in the registration process. New options to register, including online registration will also be made available. Together, these reforms will make it easier for people to register to vote and update their details, while enabling more effective management of the register by local authorities.
In order to prepare for the passage and commencement of the legislation, work to update the systems used by registration authorities is underway.
276. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps that the National Parks and Wildlife Service plan to take to address the growing population of mink along the shores of the River Shannon and Lough Derg in view of the reported damage that this species is causing to native species in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34332/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra277. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has received any information or correspondence regarding the number of mink along the River Shannon and Lough Derg; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34333/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra278. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if surveys have been conducted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to investigate the damage that the growing mink population is having on other species of animals and fish along the River Shannon and Lough Derg; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34334/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 276, 277 and 278 together.
A detailed review of the capture, monitoring and euthanasia techniques used for mink was carried out for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of my Department in 2009 and is published in full here: www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM40.pdf
The review explored the different strategies used in mink control; focusing on eradications, control over large areas, and intensive control at sites specifically for bird conservation. Recommendations for techniques and strategies were made for potential mink control projects in Ireland. Some of these are now being applied, particularly in relation to important ground-nesting bird sites, including those in the Shannon catchment.
For instance, NPWS is engaged in mink control measures on Scattery Island in the Shannon estuary during the bird nesting season. NPWS regional staff have also been engaged in mink control measures on Lough Derg in 2021 and 2022.
The review also highlighted the ongoing risk of mink escapes from operating mink farms. Mink farming is now being phased out in Ireland with the remaining few farms due to close, following the introduction of the Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 which prohibits fur farming in Ireland.
The review also examined the likely cost of a mink control operation at a catchment level and provided figures that allowed the costs to be extrapolated to the national level in Ireland. Based on these estimates a national programme to control and eradicate mink today could be expected to cost in the region of €80M-100M.
Work is currently underway on new legislation in Ireland to strengthen the legislative and policy framework available to tackle invasive species. The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future - contains a commitment to a national invasive alien species management plan. Work on this plan is in its early stages but there will be comprehensive engagement with other departments and agencies to develop a cohesive and effective response to emerging invasive alien species issues.
Furthermore, Ireland’s fourth National Biodiversity Action Plan is currently being finalised and will build on the work carried out under the previous plan to manage, control and, where possible, eradicate invasive alien species in Ireland.
279. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the details of the number of affordable housing units that have been provided since 3 September 2021, under part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2020, as amended by the Affordable Housing Act 2021; the breakdown of the number of affordable housing units by houses and apartment units, respectively, built and sold, built and not yet sold, currently under construction that have been agreed with the relevant local authority as part of the grant of planning permission with construction yet to commence in tabular form. [34347/22]
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. It will see 54,000 affordable home interventions which includes 36,000 affordable purchase and 18,000 cost rental homes to be delivered between now and 2030 by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through ‘First Home’ a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
The primary purpose of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) is to capture a portion of the increase in land value resulting from the granting of planning permission for residential development. In line with Government commitments, the Part V provision was increased, via the Affordable Housing Act 2021, from 10% for social housing to a mandatory 20% for social, affordable and cost rental housing requirements. The amended Part V provisions now require at least half of the planning gain to be applied to social housing provision, with the remainder to be applied to affordable housing, which can be affordable purchase, cost rental or both.
The amendments came into effect on 3 September 2021 and apply to land purchased before 2015 and on or after 1 August 2021. Transitional arrangements have also been introduced and provide that the previous 10% Part V requirement will continue to apply to extant planning permissions and land purchased between 2015 and 2021. Near term supply will not be affected by these changes; however, this will change in 2026 when the 20% Part V requirement will apply to all land. As this change applies to new planning permissions on relevant land, there will likely be a time lag between the application of the 20% requirement and the actual delivery of affordable purchase and cost rental units. The Department is currently making changes to the data reporting for local authorities in order to gather information on a systematic and consistent basis regarding delivery of affordable units under Part V and is not aware of any units that have been delivered to date which is consistent with development timelines.
It should be noted, however, that alongside the Part V arrangements, the Affordable Housing Fund provides exchequer funding support to local authorities to allow the delivery of housing at affordable prices or rents on local authority lands or via advance purchase arrangements with developers for new housing on developer-owned land.
280. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will confirm that Wicklow County Council has been successful in getting funding for a biodiversity officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34359/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government outlines our ambition to tackle the biodiversity crisis and includes a commitment to ensure that each local authority has a sufficient number of biodiversity officers and heritage officers among their staff complement. Local authorities are uniquely positioned, within their own biodiversity plans and working with communities, to help halt biodiversity loss. Biodiversity officers are a key part of this and are crucial to the implementation of actions for biodiversity at local and regional level.
There are currently five biodiversity officers employed in the following local authorities:
Fingal County Council;
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dublin City Council
Galway City Council
Kerry County Council.
My Department is committed to supporting local authorities in the important role they play in the implementation of actions contained in the National Biodiversity Action Plan. In that context, I have allocated €600k in 2022 towards the programme, with six officers to be recruited this year and a further roll out in 2023/24. The programme is currently under development and will be delivered by the Heritage Council and the County and City Management Association, with the support of my Department and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Expressions of interest for participation in the pilot will be advertised by the Heritage Council in early July and it is expected that participating local authorities will begin recruiting in August.
281. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing completions and commencements by local authority in the past five years to date in 2022, in tabular form.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34387/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraData in relation to housing commencements, broken down by Local Authority area, is published by my Department on a monthly basis and can be accessed via the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts/
Data in relation to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via the following link:
www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/ndc/newdwellingcompletionsq42021/
283. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if an application has been received from Galway County Council Fire Service for funding to buy a high-pressure, large-volume pump that would be suitable for work in major flood situations as happen reasonably frequently in the area of operation of the authority; if it was received; if so, the date it was received; when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34483/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing the legislative framework, running a central training programme and issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management manages fire service issues in my Department.
With regard to the specific application to which the Deputy has enquired, my Department are working with Galway County Council to progress a wider project to address High Volume Pumping capacity under the Fire Service Capital programme.
284. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department is processing a foreshore licence to enable dredging works to take place at Ballycotton Harbour, County Cork; if so, when the application was received by his Department; when he expects to be in a position to issue such a licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34498/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAwaiting reply from Department.
285. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the discussions that have taken place with the HSE and Fingal County Council regarding the old St. Ita’s Hospital site buildings and grounds; if he will provide details of the plans for this site and buildings including cost, and the timeline for delivery of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34500/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs you will be aware, the site at St Ita’s, Portrane, is very extensive and accommodates many protected structures and attractive buildings in an extensive demesne type landscape. I understand that a feasibility study of this site was completed jointly by Fingal County Council and the HSE in November 2013, to determine the optimal future sustainable use of this complex and to consider the development of new modern psychiatric health care and ancillary facilities having regard to the cultural, visual and ecological sensitivities of the site.
The objectives within the recently published Draft Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2029 seek to promote the use or reuse of all the Protected Structures at St. Ita’s Hospital complex and demesne with appropriate conservation and sustainable development, to secure the viable sustainable re-use of the complex into the future. The Council is working with the HSE and all key stakeholders to achieve this objective.
Fingal County Council has also been in on-going discussions with the HSE specifically regarding the refurbishment of the vacant residential units along Portrane Avenue. My Department and I are very supportive of such a proposal and has been in ongoing discussions with the Council in this regard.
On foot of an application from the Council seeking funding for the refurbishment/redevelopment of 12 vacant units for social housing at this location, my Department has recently issued Stage 1 approval-in-principle for the project. This will allow the Council to proceed to the next stage and undertake detailed condition surveys and site investigations to better inform the project costs and delivery timeline. My Department will continue to support the Council in progressing this project to completion.
Separately, my Department is engaging with local authorities and the HSE regarding vacant buildings that may be suitable for refurbishment or renovation as part of the Government’s response to the accommodation challenges posed by the situation in Ukraine. Parts of the St. Ita’s complex may also be considered for use in that context although no decision has been taken to date.
286. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the scope of the enquiry by a person (details supplied) into the operation of An Bord Pleanála has been widened; the reason for same; the reason for the five-week extension into the publishing of this enquiry which was announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34501/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department published the terms of reference (attached) for the Report into the management of conflicts of interest and relevant disclosures by the Deputy Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála in relation to certain Decisions of that Board on the 12th of May 2022. In accordance with the terms of reference, Remy Farrell, Senior Counsel, was requested to provide a report to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage within a period of 6 weeks from the 12th of May 2022.
On 22th June 2022 I received and acceded to a request from Mr. Remy Farrell for an extension of time to 29th July 2022 in order to allow Mr. Farrell sufficient time to complete his work and finalise the report. The Terms of Reference published on 12th May 2022 remain unchanged.
287. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new housing builds from 2019 annually; and the number of labour workers involved in the delivery of the new housing builds from 2019 annually. [34502/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraData in relation to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via the following link:
www.cso.ie/en/statistics/construction/newdwellingcompletions/
5,669 new homes were added to the national housing stock in Q1 2022. This represents a 44.5% increase from 3,923 completions in Q1 2021 (when there were COVID-19 restrictions in place) and is 15.1% higher than the 4,926 completions in the last pre-pandemic quarter of Q1 2020. This is the most completions seen in any first quarter since this data series began in 2011. In the 12 months to the end of March 2022, a total of 22,219 new homes were completed. This year, the Government’s target under Housing for All is 24,600 new homes.
In addition, latest CSO figures show planning permissions for all residential dwellings are up 22.7% in the year ending Q1 2022 (44,491) when compared to the same time period to Q1 2021 (36,252). In the past 12 months (June 2021 to May 2022), Commencement Notices for 30,233 new homes were received.
Together, the figures point to a substantial uplift in new housing supply in the coming years, as we increase output to average of at least 33,000 new homes per year. This increase in supply will be key to meeting demand, moderating price inflation, and addressing affordability for those wishing to rent or buy their own home.
Data in relation to the number of persons employed in the construction sector is also published by the CSO on a quarterly basis as part of their Labour Force Survey. This can be accessed via the following link:
www.cso.ie/en/statistics/labourmarket/labourforcesurveylfs/
The construction sector is recovering well since the onset of the pandemic and the associated lockdowns that brought a halt to almost all building projects in the country. The most recent Labour Force Survey, compiled by the CSO, details that the construction sector now has 10,000 more workers than pre-Covid figures, standing at 159,300 workers in Q1 2022. This is over 30,000 more workers in the construction sector when compared to Q1 2021.
Central to delivering on the ambition of Housing for All is the need for additional construction sector workers. The number of construction workers involved in residential construction will need to rise to 67,500 by the middle of the decade to achieve an annual average delivery of 33,000 homes.
This will be achieved through a variety of means, including up-to-date forecast of labour demand and supply for the construction sector, and implementing measures necessary to fast-track sufficient numbers into the residential construction workforce. This includes, but is not limited to an integrated education, training and activation response, including delivery of new courses and apprenticeships, working with industry stakeholders, through the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform-led Construction Sector Group, to review and promote the attractiveness of careers in the construction sector, recourse to international labour markets where supply is unavailable locally, including facilitating recruitment from abroad and changes to employment permit schemes where necessary, and encouraging participation in the Irish market by international construction firms and builders.
