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

I thank the Deputy for his question. As he will know, the Government's stated objective is to focus strongly on new build activity and, in particular, local authority-led new build activity. The latter will comprise 9,500 of the target of 12,750 set down for this year. The new ambition under the programme for Government is to deliver 50,000 new social houses primarily through new build. That is what we want to see.

Leasing is one of a range of options available to supplement delivery, particularly at a time of acute housing shortage. It helps to supplement delivery, particularly under local authority and approved housing body build and acquisition programmes. It is a means of delivering additional social homes in an off-balance-sheet way, freeing up much-needed fiscal space for other spending requirements, including the housing capital programme that I want us to focus on in a very particular way.

My number one priority is the delivery of houses for the households on social housing waiting lists. In many cases where leasing is assessed to be a viable option, local authorities may not have access to adequate land or build pipelines to cater for demand in their area. That needs to change. I am working with local authorities on that issue and we will see some measures in the national development plan, NDP, review to address it.

While relative cost efficiency is always an important consideration in terms of the mix of delivery, it is not the only consideration and must be viewed in the overall context of the wider delivery issues. This is particularly important in the current climate, where it is essential to ensure the highest possible level of supply in the shortest time possible. All present wish to ensure we can continue to drive down homeless numbers and move people out of emergency accommodation.

The Deputy referred in his question to the most expensive of the leasing arrangements, the cost of which is influenced by the units' location in Fingal, Dublin and the size of the units. For his information, the average cost of new leases across all the leasing streams in 2020 was €13,850. I am happy to give the Deputy a full breakdown of that figure.

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