Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Taoiseach was in Cork last Saturday. There is a new affordable housing investment there of €310 million for a new affordable, shared housing scheme in Cork. I have no doubt that this is welcome. Affordable homes will be included in that investment.

The supply of new homes is increasing. There were 4,920 new homes completed in quarter 2 of 2019. This is an 11% increase on quarter 2 in 2018. More than 18,000 new homes were built in 2018, which is a 25% increase on 2017 and the highest number of newly built homes in any year this decade. Some 42,300 new homes have been built since the launch of Rebuilding Ireland in 2016. This supply of new homes will continue to increase. A total of 28,970 planning permissions were granted in quarter 1, which is up 21%. Total commencement notices as of June 2019 were 24,226, which is an increase of 29% on last year. The supply of homes is increasing.

The O'Devaney Gardens development involves a €100 million investment. On Monday 4 November Dublin City Council, by 38 votes to 19 agreed to proceed with a proposal by the city council executive to develop lands in O'Devaney Gardens. Bartra Capital will now build 768 houses and apartments on the site. Currently, 50% of the scheme, which is 411 units, has been earmarked for private housing, 30% has been ring-fenced for social housing and the other 20% is set to become affordable housing. In advance of the vote, councillors representing Fianna Fáil, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and the Green Party indicated that an agreement had been secured to purchase 30% of the total units available at O'Devaney Gardens from Bartra. The council, however, voted on 4 November to proceed on the basis of the original plan and the agreement referred to by councillors appears to have no legal standing. Bartra has simply indicated a willingness to sell private units to the council at prices it will itself determine. Acquiring homes at the full, open-market price cannot be the basis for affordable, cost rental because the rents that result - which would be required to finance the loans and other costs - would be close to market rents.

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