Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 July 2023
254. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which housing developments are in hand in each local authority throughout the country, as well as in County Kildare, with a view to alleviating the waiting list for local authority and affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33362/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new housing schemes currently in hand or proposed in 2023 by each local authority, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33370/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 262 together.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority, including Kildare. With 2022 representing the first full year of affordable housing delivery under the schemes introduced in the Affordable Housing Act 2021, local authorities have submitted data returns detailing information on delivery of affordable homes in their area to my Department, in the same manner as is done for social housing. This data is available to the end of Quarter 4 2022, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/. Data for Q1 2023 is currently being collated and will be published shortly.
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 4 2022. All Construction Status Reports are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/.
A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis of completions, locations, approvals stage etc. at the link below: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q4-2022?package_type=dataset.
The Construction Status Report shows that there were 15 schemes of 196 homes on site in Kildare at the end of Quarter 4 2022, with a further 20 schemes of 531 homes at various stages of design and procurement. Additional social housing delivery will come from local authority Part V delivery.
A key action of Housing for All required local authorities to develop a Housing Delivery Action Plans to include details of social and affordable housing delivery. The Plans set out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. In preparing the Plans, local authorities were required to include details of land available to deliver housing and details of land acquisition requirements. The Plans have been published on local authority's own websites and Kildare County Council's Plan can be found at kildarecoco.ie/YourCouncil/Publications/Housing/Kildare%20County%20Council%20Housing%20Delivery%20Action%20Plan.pdf.
The First Home Scheme, which was launched in July 2022, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. The Scheme aims to support in the region of 8,000 households in acquiring new homes in the private market in the years 2022 to 2026 with an overall budget of €400 million. The scheme is available nationwide. Full information on the scheme, including Q1 2023 Update Report, is available on the First Home Scheme dedicated website, www.firsthomescheme.ie.
Other measures, such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan, are also nationally available to eligible first-time purchasers to make home ownership more affordable.
