Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

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

The Cabinet committee on housing last met on Monday, 31 March and is due to meet again this Thursday, 1 May. The committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of housing policy. Housing supply has increased significantly over the past number of years. We now have the highest social housing build per annum in half a century, while the latest figures published by the CSO show that almost 6,000 new homes were completed in the first quarter of this year, a rise on the same three months of 2024.

While these figures are welcome, the Government is committed of course to scaling up delivery further. The programme for Government sets out our ambition to accelerate housing supply, building on progress to date and recognising housing as a major social and economic challenge. Since we have come to office, we have demonstrated our commitment to this ambition. Just this morning, Government approved the establishment of a dedicated housing activation office in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to identify and seek to address barriers to the delivery of public infrastructure projects required to enable housing development. This office will engage and align stakeholders, including local authorities, infrastructure providers, industry and others to tackle barriers in a co-ordinated way.

It will also have a key operational function seeking to unblock issues on the ground. The office will focus on infrastructure needed at a local level to support housing delivery on multiple sites.

In addition, we now have a dedicated division in the Department of public expenditure focused on the delivery of very large scale infrastructure projects, many of which will enable the delivery of housing at the scale we need in the areas where it is needed most. To build houses at scale, we need to provide other services at scale such as energy, water and transport. These areas are front and centre in our priorities as we review the national development plan. The housing activation office will co-ordinate its work with the new infrastructure division to ensure effective co-ordination.

We have consistently said we need to reform our planning process. A very important milestone will be the imminent establishment of An Coimisiún Pleanála to replace An Bord Pleanála. This new body will result in a changed and more resourced organisational structure and will have mandatory statutory deadlines, accelerating crucial planning decisions and reducing delays in court. In support of this reform, we will all need to recognise the importance of a more effective planning and legal process that balances the rights of the individual with the broader societal need for improved services.

Since coming to office, we have allocated an additional €450 million to build a further 3,000 social, affordable and cost-rental homes. This is on top of the €6 billion already allocated in budget 2025. We have also approved the allocation of €325 million in capital funding for the second-hand acquisition programme. This increased funding, which will support tenant in situ acquisitions, will help to prevent people falling into homelessness due to the sale of their rental homes. Earlier this month, the Government agreed the first revision to the national planning framework. This sets the strategy for our development in the years to come and, importantly, will enable local authorities to zone sufficient land for residential development to support the step up in delivery. The Government has also approved the drafting of legislation to regulate the short-term letting market. This will provide for more long-term availability of homes in areas of greatest need while balancing the legitimate requirements of the tourism sector. We are in the process of developing the plan for home delivery for the next five years and beyond. We will pursue every action possible and be creative in our thinking as we move to step up delivery of housing.

It is clear that we have challenges, in particular, with the viability of apartment development and the high cost of construction. We will need to be ambitious in our approach, keeping all options on the table in order to address these challenges. I am confident that we can build on our success to date and achieve further momentum across all areas of housing delivery over the lifetime of this Government.

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