Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government
Housing for All: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Ms Caroline Timmons:
I can talk about that. In Housing for All, we set out our ambition to provide 54,000 affordable homes, 18,000 of which were to be cost rental. We have targets out to 2026. Within that, we are looking at a two thirds-one third split between affordable purchase and cost rental. We are looking at that all of the time because things are changing. The development of cost rental is becoming more and more important. We are trying to make sure we are bringing forward as much as we can.
With regard to what we have in the pipeline for development over the next while, we have local authorities, AHBs and the LDA providing cost rental. You need all three coming forward with that. We need to do more on communications. The Housing Agency is developing a website on affordable housing for us. Consumers will be able to look at that and understand all of the various areas and, with particular regard to cost rental, how to apply and where the cost-rental homes that can be applied for are. We feel that is pretty crucial. That is very close to being developed and out there. I would say it will be up online in the next month. The Cathaoirleach is right that communications will be a priority for us at this point.