Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 March 2023
113. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable purchase homes that were delivered in 2020, 2021 and 2022; the number of planned units for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11786/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra132. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable purchase homes delivered in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10978/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra135. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is satisfied with the roll-out of the affordable housing scheme; if he is satisfied that the targets are being reached; the number of units that have been built heretofore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11789/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraHousing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing to the required 33,000 homes, on average, per year over the next decade. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.
In implementing the key objectives under Housing for All, each local authority has prepared and published a Housing Delivery Action Plan in respect of local authority supported or overseen delivery from 2022 to 2026. 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need were set affordable housing delivery targets and asked to include their planned affordable housing delivery in their Housing Delivery Action Plans. These plans were published on the local authorities’ respective websites in July 2022.
2022 represented the first year of a very ambitious programme of delivery of affordable housing. This momentum will continue with delivery stepping up this year. A pipeline of housing delivery is in place and under continuous development by local authorities, by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and by the LDA.
Local authorities were requested to submit their data returns and information on delivery of affordable homes in their area in 2022 to my Department, in the same manner as is done for social housing. This process has now been completed and statistical data on delivery across all delivery streams is currently being validated. I expect that my Department will be in a position to begin reporting on affordable delivery in national quarterly delivery statistics shortly.
The First Home shared equity scheme was launched in July 2022, and now supports affordability-constrained households who wish to purchase a newly constructed home through the private market. This scheme will bridge the gap between the cost of the newly constructed home and the maximum mortgage the household, the maximum deposit (combined with Help-to-Buy support) that the household can obtain. This scheme is administered by the First Home DAC and is available nationwide. Full details can be found at www.firsthomescheme.ie/
Other measures to support affordability constrained households include the Local Authority Home Loan and the Help-to-Buy incentive scheme. The Local Authority Home Loan was introduced in 2022 as an enhanced replacement to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan. As announced in Budget 2023, the Help-to-Buy scheme has been extended to end 2024.
