Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 13, inclusive, together. The Housing for All update and quarter 3 progress report was published last week. This report sets out our priority actions for the coming year as we build on the strong start we have made in tackling the crisis. It is clear that we are making real progress. We can see it on the ground, with new homes and apartments being built all over the country. In the past 12 months, 30,000 new homes have been built. That is 50% more than when this Government came into office and double the number when I first became Taoiseach in 2017. We have exceeded the Housing for All output targets for 2022 and we are on track to exceed them in 2023. We are also very optimistic about 2024, with almost 24,000 new homes started in the first nine months of 2023 and planning permission granted for over 20,000 new homes in the first half of this year alone.

Under Housing for All, we have seen citizens achieving homeownership this year at a greater pace than at any point in over a decade. In the 12 months to September, first-time mortgage approvals exceeded 30,000, helped in many cases by the first home and help to buy schemes. On State lands, building is underway on sites in Cork and Dublin which between them will provide over 850 homes, and the LDA now has planning permission for over 2,500 additional homes. This is on top of the 1,000 affordable homes due under Project Tosaigh.

Last week, Government took further action to bring additional vacant and derelict properties back into use, having doubled the target for the vacant property refurbishment grant. We have also agreed to extend the local authority home loan to people looking to buy and renovate derelict homes. Housing for All is a coherent plan designed to accelerate home building in a sustainable way. We have also shown a willingness to adapt policies as required. As set out in the action plan update, the coming year will see us continue reforms which will fundamentally improve our system of housing delivery. The new planning and development Bill, once enacted, will bring greater clarity, consistency and efficiency to how planning decisions are made. Importantly, the system will be more coherent and user-friendly, allowing for greater understanding on the part of both the public and planning practitioners alike.

For the longer term, we will revise our targets for home building, taking into account the census and the latest ESRI analysis. These revised targets will allow for better planning for housing delivery across the country between now and 2030. We will also continue to increase apprenticeships, launch campaigns to attract more people to work in construction from Ireland and abroad, promote the use of innovation in both public and private delivery and promote greater productivity in the house-building sector. We will continue to increase capacity in local authorities, An Bord Pleanála, Uisce Éireann and other State bodies to ensure faster decisions and accelerated delivery.

As I said, Housing for All is working. We are increasing housing delivery across all tenures. Over the next year, our task is to focus on implementation of the plan and maintain this strong momentum into 2024 and beyond.

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