James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"acknowledges that:

— Housing for All sets out an ambitious multi-annual programme that seeks to deliver more than 300,000 new homes between 2022 and 2030;

— more than 133,000 new build homes were delivered between 2020 and 2024, with 92,500 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024, exceeding the Housing for All target for the period by some 5,500 or so new homes, and a 49 per cent increase on the quantum delivered in the previous three-year period;

— there have been record levels of delivery for both social and affordable homes via the various delivery partners involved; and

— Government measures, such as the development levy waiver and water connection refund have been a catalyst for increased construction activity in the last 12 months, establishing a robust medium-term pipeline and supporting significantly accelerated supply of new housing in the coming years;

recognises that:

— the measures introduced under Housing for All have helped establish a solid platform to 'scale-up' delivery further in the short-term and secure a sustainable level of supply that will help us meet fully unmet and emerging demand;

— the Government's revised housing targets, informed by expert, peer-reviewed research by the Economic and Social Research Institute, and targeting a minimum of 300,000 or so new homes over the next six years, are an ambitious and credible pathway to achieving these objectives;

— the measures committed to in the Programme for Government - Securing Ireland's Future, including a new housing plan building on the successes of Housing for All, will help us meet the enormous challenge of delivering 60,000 or more new homes per year by 2030; and

— the Government's new national housing plan will incorporate pragmatic actions to boost housing activity in the short-term, coupled with strategic deliverables to drive comprehensive systemic change and subsequent increase in supply into the long-term;

notes that:

— Housing for All contains a suite of actions that have, and continue to, increase the provision of housing by accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes;

— the increase in new homes, as well as measures such as the First Home Scheme, the Help to Buy scheme, the Local Authority Home Loan, the relaxation of social housing income eligibility limits, and the introduction of the Rent Tax Credit, are all helping to support younger people achieve autonomy in the housing market;

— the latest Central Statistics Office data on market purchases of homes by non-households, including institutional investors, show the State was the largest non-household purchaser of homes in 2023, acquiring almost half of the 12,000 or so homes bought by such purchasers;

— the owner-occupier guarantee introduced by Government in May 2021, has succeeded in preventing the inappropriate purchase of homes to a single purchaser, securing those homes for purchase by homeowners, with planning permission granted for some 55,600 homes with conditions prohibiting bulk purchase by, or multiple sale to, a single purchaser between May 2021 and November 2024; and

— defective concrete blocks is a complex issue, which the Government is addressing by allocating a significant amount of money to affected homeowners, to enable them to rebuild their homes and get on with their lives, while changes were included to the scheme late in 2024 to take account of the most recent research undertaken; and

affirms Government efforts to:

— increase supply and improve the availability, choice and affordability of homes;

— build on the significant number of social and affordable homes provided in 2024, expanding the State's investment available for the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes in 2025, supplemented by the Land Development Agency investment, and the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) lending, which will bring the overall capital provision to almost €6.8 billion;

— support individuals and families who may be struggling to purchase a home, by bridging the gap between their financial resources and the price of the home, through a range of schemes including the Help to Buy, First Home Scheme, Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan;

— consider the best means for regulating the private rental sector, including any recalibration of the current Rent Pressure Zones that may be required, which will seek to strike the most appropriate balance between protecting affordability for tenants on the one hand, while increasing the supply of new rental homes through new private investment and construction on the other;

— boost supply of private rental homes by introducing new regulatory controls for short-term lets, by progressing the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill;

— address homelessness through additional measures included in the Programme for Government, including to develop a cross-Government prevention framework, reforming the legislative framework, the continuation and expansion of the Housing First scheme, and a commitment to focus social housing allocations to exit families experiencing homelessness;

— sustain Tenant in-Situ Scheme acquisitions into 2025, as a clear indication of Government's commitment to preventing homelessness for Housing Assistance Payment and the Rental Accommodation Scheme tenants, who have been served a 'no fault' Notice of Termination;

— support a targeted second-hand social housing acquisitions programme, which responds to the needs of the most vulnerable by increasing the 2025 budget for the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme, from the €60 million available under Housing for All, to €325 million;

— support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to acquire and re-develop vacant and derelict buildings and sites, from single properties to more extensive buildings or blocks for social housing, through the Social Housing Investment Programme and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund;

— support the full time Vacant Homes Officers in all 31 local authorities to actively pursue all avenues to bring vacant properties back into use;

— introduce new regulatory controls for short-term lets, by progressing the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill;

— establish a land price register, for which work is committed to in the Programme for Government and already underway;

— continue to develop Land Zoning Value Sharing proposals to allow the State to secure a proportion of the increased value of land associated with zoning decisions, with communities benefitting as a result;

— prioritise infrastructure development as a critical means for increasing housing supply, noting the Government's commitment including, for example, investing additional capital in Uisce Éireann;

— establish a new strategic housing activation office, to coordinate homebuilding and investment in the servicing of zoned lands;

— expand the capacity of the construction sector, as another key measure to scale up delivery to the levels necessary by 2030;

— diversify sources of investment, noting the level of investment required in the long-term cannot be solely the responsibility of the State, and it will also require a very significant level of private investment, including appropriate institutional capital investment, which is essential for the delivery of critically needed private rental homes;

— work with domestic lenders to ensure that the banking sector is appropriately using its lending capacity to support the development of new housing;

— develop new financing sources, especially for brownfield sites and small builders, with support from Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), the HFA and domestic banks, as well as State support of equity investment; and

— deliver on the far-ranging commitments in the Programme for Government, and informed by the Housing Commission's proposals for the long-term reform of the housing system, accepting this is an appropriate response to the current housing challenges which Ireland is now facing."

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Government's countermotion and to outline the progress made to date by this Government and that which preceded it under Housing for All. I will set out what we are doing to build on the successes of that plan and our ongoing commitment to meet the significant housing challenges facing us as a nation.

Housing is a cross-society challenge that has a real impact on people's lives. I reassert the Government's commitment to addressing the housing crisis by implementing Housing for All and the suite of measures outlined in the programme for Government. We want to make it very clear that we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge and that is why we are considering every lever at out disposal. We are looking at immediate, short-term, pragmatic actions to increase supply, as well as longer term initiatives that will help sustain and build on this over the coming decade. It is important to acknowledge that we are not starting from scratch. We are building on the progress already made since the launch of Housing for All three and a half years ago.

Housing for All sets out a comprehensive and ambitious multi-annual programme to accelerate and significantly increase the delivery of new homes. This ambition is reflected in the record level of investment being provided for the delivery of housing in 2025, with overall capital funding of almost €6.8 billion now available and a further €1.65 billion in current funding to address housing need.

Last year's dip in delivery was very disappointing, but supply continues to grow in the longer term. More that 133,000 new-build homes were delivered between 2020 and 2024, with 92,500 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024, up almost 50% on the three previous years. Building new homes remains a key priority for the Government. To this end, we have committed to delivering some 300,000 new homes by 2030, rising to 60,000 homes per year by the end of that period. Scaling up to 60,000 homes per year and building further on this thereafter will be an enormous challenge. We will rise to this challenge by utilising all the means available to us. We will do this by, among other things, prioritising investment in infrastructure development. For example, we will draw on the Housing Commission's proposals and establish a new strategic housing activation office to co-ordinate home building and investment in the service of zoned lands and to remove barriers that stifle supply.

The commencement of the Planning and Development Act 2024 is a key priority for the Government. The Act will bring greater clarity and certainty. The revised national planning framework will provide local authorities with scope to zone the amount of land required to meet housing needs in areas of highest demand. The motion calls for the creation of a State housing infrastructure investment fund or bond to unlock housing savings. We are examining all options to secure the public and private financing required to deliver on our targets. We continue to engage with domestic lenders and we continue to explore development of new financing resources, especially for brownfield sites and small builders, with the support of Home Building Finance Ireland, HBFI, the Housing Finance Agency, HFI, as well as State-supported equity investment.

The motion also calls for a ban on institutional purchases of houses and apartments, other than by local authorities and AHBs. The nature and the scale of homes being bought by non-household purchasers is often misinformed. The reality is illustrated by latest CSO data on market purchases of homes by non-households, including institutional investors, is that the State was the largest non-household purchaser of homes in 2023. It acquired almost half of the 12,000 or so homes bought by such purchasers. Furthermore, the owner-occupier guarantee introduced by the Government in May 2021 has succeeded in preventing the inappropriate purchase of homes by a single purchaser and securing those homes for purchase by homeowners.

Between May 2021 and November 2024, planning permission was granted for some 55,600 homes with conditions prohibiting bulk purchase by or multiple sales to a single purchaser of those homes. Affordability is a key focus of Housing for All, which introduced many measures to support access to affordable housing and assist those aspiring to buy their own home to do so. It includes the help to buy scheme, the local authority affordable purchase schemes, the local authority home loan and the first home shared equity scheme. Unprecedented State investment under Housing for All has supported record levels of delivery of both social and affordable homes via the various delivery partners involved.

We continue to deliver the first affordable homes in a generation and we are going from strength to strength with affordable housing supports provided in 2024 likely to significantly exceed 2023's outturn. Notably, since July 2020, almost 42,000 social homes have been added to the social housing stock. We also have a strong pipeline, with more than 28,000 homes at all stages of design and build. The Government will continue to roll out the largest social housing programme in the history of the State. The programme for Government contains a commitment to expanding on this significantly. It will target some 12,000 homes per year on average over the Government's term. Allied with support for approximately 15,000 starter homes, this reflects our commitment to resolving the housing crisis.

In the rental market, we have committed to continuing support for renters and landlords, including measures to protect renters and landlords from abusive practices through enhanced enforcement powers for the Residential Tenancies Board. We will consider the best means for regulating the private rental sector, including any recalibration of the existing rent pressure zones that may be required. We will seek to strike the most appropriate balance between protecting affordability for tenants on the one hand, while increasing the supply of new rental homes for new private investment and construction on the other.

Tenant in situ acquisitions are recognised as a key measure in the prevention of homelessness and as such I reassert the Government's commitment to the continuation of a more focused and targeted programme to ensure it benefits those most in need. To this end I have requested local authorities focus on the following priority categories, namely, tenant in situ acquisitions, older persons or persons with a disability, exits from homeless services and buy or new acquisitions which tackle vacancy. Prioritising vulnerable households for support under the second-hand acquisitions programme is important but it does not mean excluding others. It will be a matter for local authorities to respond to local needs.

To conclude, this Government is dedicated to ensuring the continued success of Housing for All and implementing the far-ranging commitments of the programme for Government. In its countermotion, the Government highlights the substantial progress made to date and how it will built on this progress. We have achieved much since Housing for All was published and will continue to work tirelessly over the terms of this Government to increase supply, address the affordability challenges and fix the housing system for our children, grandchildren and generations to come.

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