Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take questions Nos. 16 to 22, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on housing has met three times to date in 2022. The most recent meeting took place on Monday, 4 April, and the next is planned for Thursday, 12 May. This committee oversees the implementation of Housing for All and the delivery of programme for Government commitments regarding housing and related matters. Housing for All is the most ambitious housing plan in the history of our State, backed by the highest ever level of investment with more than €4 billion in annual guaranteed State investment in housing over the coming years. The plan contains a range of actions and measures to ensure more than 300,000 new homes are built by 2030. This figure includes 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost-rental homes.

On 7 April, the Government published the third quarterly progress report under Housing for All. It shows strong progress towards the fundamental reform of the housing system, setting the course to significantly increase the supply of housing and provide a sustainable housing system into the future. Of 213 actions in Housing for All, a total of 135 have either been completed already or are being delivered on an ongoing basis. Data from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, shows that despite the disruption caused by Covid-19, a total of 20,433 new dwellings were completed in 2021. Some 5,669 homes were completed during the first quarter of this year, representing the highest number of quarterly home completions in the State for many years. In particular, there is a significant pick-up in apartment development. There is also a strong pipeline indicated for 2022, with more than 34,000 commencements in the 12 months to March 2022. This data shows that our Housing for All strategy is working in its focus to provide sustainable homes for people in the right places and we are confident that the target for delivery of 24,600 homes in 2022 will be met.

The plan also contains measures aimed at addressing capacity issues in the construction industry, promoting viability and driving down the cost of construction over time. Under the plan, Government has also implemented a number of measures to make homes more affordable to buy or to rent. We are also continuing to support our most vulnerable, namely, those experiencing homelessness and who have more complex housing needs. The situation arising in Ukraine and our commitment to house those fleeing the war makes the delivery of Housing for All more important than ever. It also raises challenges such as inflationary pressures and supply chain issues, which will need careful monitoring to ensure we stay on track to deliver targeted housing supply. The Cabinet committee will maintain focus on this delivery.

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