Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are on amendment No. 895. It seeks to insert after "situated" the following: "...and the Local Authority’s own Housing Needs Demand Assessment and any other data that may be available," etc. On 18 December 2020, a ministerial letter to local authorities was issued outlining the Department’s works on the structural housing demand in Ireland and our housing supply targets, including identifying how the housing need and demand assessment, HNDA, tool for local authorities assists in informing the development of multi-annual social housing targets, which we have in place now. I discussed that with Deputy Boyd Barrett. In April 2021, the HNDA framework and tool were published by the Department. Subsequently, the HNDA framework and tool were completed as part of housing strategy for Dublin city, Kildare, Kerry, Clare and Galway. Other local authorities had commenced or completed their housing plans in advance of the HNDA publication, with most using interim HNDA methodologies. Given the uptake, additional legislation does not seem necessary.

Further, the report of the Housing Commission will give further direction to the development of the framework for assessing housing needs. Furthermore, the Bill states in section 219(5)(i) that a housing strategy shall take account of, "any assessment relating to housing need or demand prepared by the planning authority pursuant to the National Planning Framework or any National Planning Statement", which would cover the HNDA in any instance. On this basis, I cannot accept the amendment.