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

I propose to answer questions Nos. 1 to 16, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on housing last met on 2 March. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for 17 April. This committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All. Progress on Housing for All is reported on a quarterly basis. The latest progress report, for quarter 4 of 2022, was published on 7 February. The report for quarter 1 of 2023 will be published in April.

Solving the housing crisis is one of the greatest political challenges we face and it is an imperative. Due to a rising population, smaller household size and the scarring effects of the construction, banking and fiscal crisis, we have an enormous deficit of housing in Ireland, perhaps a quarter of a million units, but we are making real progress. In 2022, almost 30,000 new homes were completed in Ireland, not including student accommodation and derelict homes brought back into use. This is the highest since 2008. When verified and published in the coming weeks, figures will show that more social housing was built in 2022 than in any other year in decades, certainly since the mid-1970s. To ensure the substantial uplift in supply in 2022 can be maintained and exceeded, which is the objective, a record €4.5 billion in State housing investment has been allocated for 2023, to build 9,100 new social homes and 5,500 affordable programme homes, including 1,850 cost rental homes. New measures to further enhance the supply of social homes and reduce the impact from challenges in the private rental sector have been agreed. Through Housing for All we are also accelerating the adoption of modern methods of construction with 30 sites identified for rapid build of 1,500 new social homes, and driving significant reforms including the new planning and development Bill.

The most effective way to resolve the challenges currently being experienced is to increase supply and accelerate the delivery of housing for purchase, and for private rental, cost rental and social rental.

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