Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 14, inclusive, together.

The housing and infrastructure unit assists me and the Government to meet our housing and infrastructure policy objectives. This includes providing a secretariat to the Cabinet committee on housing, which oversees the delivery of Housing for All, along with wider public investment through Project Ireland 2040, which falls under the Cabinet committee on the economy and investment, which is chaired by the Tánaiste. The unit also provides updates, briefing and speech material on relevant policy issues.

The Cabinet committee on housing met eight times in 2022. The last meeting took place on Monday, 21 November. The next meeting of the Cabinet committee on housing is scheduled for next Monday. This committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All across government and the implementation 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 and contains actions to ensure more than 300,000 new homes are built by the end of the decade, along with delivering a fundamental reform of our housing system. The plan is showing real progress. Almost 28,000 new homes were completed in the 12 months to the end of September, the highest rolling 12-month total of any period since comparable data were first published in 2011. We are building more new homes than at any point in more than ten years, and that does not include student accommodation or derelict homes being brought back into use. We expect to see data in the next few weeks that will confirm we exceeded our overall target of 24,600 new homes in 2022. The target for 2023 is 29,000 new homes, and I want us to exceed that as well.

For renters, we are making cost rental a reality. We have legislated to cap rent increases and enhanced security for tenants through deferring no-fault terminations until April. We have also introduced a rent tax credit and we encourage renters to avail of that, given it is now possible to apply for it online. We are also reforming the planning system and promoting the use of innovation, rapid builds and modern methods of construction. Other significant initiatives under Housing for All include the first home scheme, Project Tosaigh and the residential zoned land tax.

We will continue to prioritise the building of new homes, taking further action as it is needed and listening to what those involved in the sector are telling us.

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