Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her question. The programme for Government commits to the State playing a greater part in directly providing affordable and social homes with a focus on middle income earners and developing sustainable mixed tenure communities. These principles will guide our housing policy and the work of the Land Development Agency, LDA, in assembling strategic sites in urban areas and ensuring the sustainable development of social and affordable homes for rent and purchase. This will include ensuring the public housing rental stock on public lands is under the control of local authorities, approved housing bodies or similar bodies. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issued an update to the public spending code in October 2019 to include a requirement that, prior to seeking approval from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to dispose of land and buildings on the open market, all non-commercial State bodies must first consult with the LDA in relation to the appropriate disposal of these lands. This requirement will further be strengthened by a commitment in the programme for Government that any State lands offered for sale will automatically be offered first to the LDA. This would mean that these lands could be acquired by the LDA, ensuring they remain in the ownership of the State and are used to provide appropriate housing within its mandate.

Nine sites have been initially prescribed to deliver 3,600 homes. It is clear in the programme for Government that the basis for this will be enshrined in social and affordable housing and cost rental to ensure that we have a significant increase in the housing supply.

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