James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the select committee my Department's Further Revised Estimate for 2025. I am joined by John Cummins TD, Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning, and the following officials from my Department: Ms Marguerite Ryan, assistant secretary for corporate support; Mr. Paul Benson, assistant secretary for social housing delivery; and Ms Emer Dalton, head of housing finance and delivery co-ordination.

In July of this year I met with the committee to discuss the 2025 Revised Estimate for my Department in the round. At that session we also discussed the Votes for Tailte Éireann and An Coimisiún Toghcháin. We had detailed and constructive engagement on the full allocation of funds for my Department on that occasion. I very much appreciate that the committee has convened at short notice to consider this Further Revised Estimate and I will accordingly keep my introductory remarks short and focused on the particulars of this change to the allocation to my Department, which arises as a result of the transfer of marine environment function from my Department to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; transfer of property services regulation functions to my Department from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration; and the allocation of an additional €696 million in capital funding to Vote 34.

The programme for Government included a commitment to transfer the Property Services Regulatory Authority, PSRA, and the Property Services Appeals Board, PSAB, to my Department. This transfer was effected on 1 August, and the Further Revised Estimate will accordingly transfer the associated budget of €4.256 million from Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The committee is likely aware of the very important role of the PSRA. It is an independent authority whose role is principally to license and regulate property services providers, namely, auctioneers, estate agents, letting agents and management agents, under the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011. The role of the PSAB, established under the same Act, is to hear appeals against certain decisions which may be taken by the PSRA, including those relating to licensing, the investigation of complaints or the imposition of sanctions on a property services provider. Property services providers play a vital role in the functioning of the housing market, and the integration of the PSRA and the PSAB into the broader housing infrastructure will facilitate the achievement of our shared goal of a healthy and fair national housing market.

Also on 1 August, and in line with the programme for Government, the marine environment unit was transferred from my Department to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. The Further Revised Estimate reflects this transfer and reduces Vote 34 by €7.274 million. This transfer will consolidate relevant marine functions under the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment and promote the protection and restoration of our marine environment. My Department will continue to work closely with the marine environment unit on matters relating to our remaining marine roles under the water framework directive and the bathing water directive, as well as marine functions of the National Parks and Wildlife Service in respect of the EU birds and habitats directive and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Both transfers were the culmination of months of work by officials in the sending and receiving Departments and across the Government. I acknowledge the smooth transition and wish all transferring units the best of luck in their new configurations.

Turning to the question of additional capital funding, the Estimate that I set before the committee in July detailed my Department’s budget for 2025. This totalled €8.6 billion for the year, comprising €3.3 billion in current funding and nearly €5.3 billion on the capital side. This was supplemented by €165 million in proceeds from the local property tax, making funds of €8.8 billion available across Vote 34 this year. In addition, the total gross provision for Tailte Éireann in 2025 is nearly €91.2 million, with a further €11.8 million for An Coimisiúin Toghcháin. This represents a very substantial element of overall Government expenditure in 2025 and is instrumental in funding core areas of activity under the remit of my Department, particularly in the areas of housing, water, planning, local government and heritage. The Further Revised Estimate before the committee today covers substantive additional capital funding of €696 million for the housing programme. Accordingly, 2025 will see continued record investment in housing.

Overall, almost €7.5 billion in capital funding is being provided through a combination of Exchequer resources, investment by the Land Development Agency and lending by the Housing Finance Agency. This provision includes over €1.4 billion in additional capital funding that has been agreed by the Government this year to support a range of housing programmes. Specifically, the additional capital funding under discussion today will accelerate the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental homes by local authorities and approved housing bodies, continue to build a robust delivery pipeline for new homes, support a significant programme of second-hand acquisitions for priority categories of need, including tenant in situ acquisitions and protect vulnerable households facing precarious living situations and homelessness, bring vacant homes back into residential use and support homeowners under the defective concrete blocks scheme.

A total of €250 million of the €696 million in additional funding relates to the temporary development contribution waiver scheme, which has now ended. That scheme was part of approved measures to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs through the introduction of time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority section 48 development contributions. The overall capital investment will also allow us to continue to build on the progress achieved since the publication of Housing for All, with over 37,400 social homes and over 14,500 affordable housing solutions delivered by the end of quarter 1 of 2025.

I have kept my remarks as brief as possible and focused specifically on the issue at hand in today’s meeting, the Further Revised Estimate for Vote 34. I will, of course, be happy to deal with matters that members wish to raise and to revert to the committee if I do not have the details with me today.