Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 34, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on housing last met on Thursday 5 June and is due to meet again on Monday 21 July. The committee works to ensure a cross-Government approach to the implementation of our commitments in respect of housing policy. Housing supply has increased significantly over the past number of years, with almost 140,000 new homes delivered since the start of 2020. However, we know we need to do more. Housing is the single most urgent and important social and economic issue facing our country and one we are determined to get to grips with. The programme for Government sets out our ambition to build on the success of Housing for All to accelerate the delivery of homes.

Since entering office, we have allocated over €700 million to housing That is in addition to the €6 billion already allocated in budget 2025. This includes €450 million to build a further 3,000 social, affordable and cost rental homes and an additional €265 million to second-hand social housing acquisitions, bringing the total available for acquisitions in 2025 to €325 million. This increased funding, which will support tenant in situ acquisitions, will greatly help in preventing people falling into homelessness due to the sale of their rental homes.

We have also have brought forward a suite of measures to boost the delivery of homes. Among these, the revision of the national planning framework will enable local authorities to zone the significantly higher quantum of land needed to meet our ambition for housing delivery. We established the housing activation office in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It will address barriers to the delivery of infrastructure projects needed to enable housing development. Additionally, the new infrastructure division in the Department of public expenditure will improve efficiency in delivering strategic infrastructure projects, critical to supporting us in scaling up housing delivery over the medium term.

We are moving at pace to reform our planning system, through the implementation of the landmark Planning and Development Act 2024. An Coimisiún Pleanála has been established and will focus on accelerating crucial planning decisions and reducing delays. The Government has also approved changes which will allow current holders of planning permissions for housing developments that have not yet commenced to apply for an extension of up to three years. This is about getting things moving and ensuring we do not lose out on the delivery of thousands of potential homes.

As a further measure to encourage the supply of much-needed homes, Government has published new guidelines which will strike a balance between ensuring apartment development meet the needs of society in terms of standards and quality, while promoting an increased level of delivery overall. In publishing these guidelines, we are taking decisive action without compromising on any essential regulations to ensure apartments are viable to build.

The Land Development Agency, LDA, has proven very successful in delivering social and affordable homes to date. We believe it can do even more, which is why we have agreed to an expansion to its remit. Earlier this month, we agreed to introduce a single-stage approval process for all social housing projects, up to a value of €200 million. This will cut red tape and support local authorities and approved housing bodies, AHBs, to increase and speed up the delivery of much-needed homes. The Government has also agreed reforms to rent pressure zones which, among other things, will strengthen the rights of tenants and will help to stimulate increased investment and development over the longer term. We are currently developing a new housing plan that will be aligned with the outcome of the national development plan, NDP, review process currently under way.

It is clear that we have many significant challenges, especially with the viability of apartment development. We will pursue every action possible and be creative in our thinking as we move to step up housing delivery. These decisions, which will be reflected in the revised plan, will allow us to drive forward and ensure momentum across all different areas of housing delivery over the lifetime of this Government.

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