James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

The Department's budget package for 2026 sees some €11.275 billion allocated across my Department, Tailte Éireann and an Coimisiún Toghcháin. Housing capital investment has reached a record €9 billion. We have introduced a 29% increase for Uisce Éireann to advance water infrastructure and facilitate housing development. We have significantly increased our funding allocation of €563 million to support the essential provision of homeless services. The derelict property tax will now, crucially, be administered by the Revenue Commissioners. I have ensured the extension of the rent tax credit of €1,000 for a further three years for our renters. There will be a 0% corporation tax rate for cost-rental units to encourage the wide-scale delivery of cost-rental units. The Residential Tenancies Board and the other advocacy services will receive funding of €24 million. There will be €34 million to support the Traveller community, including for the delivery of new accommodation and repair and maintenance work, while there will be increased funding for An Coimisiún Pleanála - our planning commission - and for our planning authorities, on which the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins will speak. There will be €670 million to further support local authorities, which is an increase of €18 million in funding from the Local Government Fund, as well as a record €256 million boost for nature restoration and heritage, up by 15% year on year with the National Parks and Wildlife Service receiving over €100 million for the first time, which my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O’Sullivan, will speak on in further detail later. They are some of the key highlights.

Vote 34 on housing, Vote 16 on Tailte Éireann and Vote 23 on an Coimisiún Toghcháin are all under my remit as Minister and collectively, budget 2026 will provide for an increase of over €3.34 billion on the amount provided this time last year during budget 2025. Since coming into office, the allocation to my Department for 2025 has grown by some €1.4 billion in funds available, reflecting the urgent and accelerated pace that we are funding and approving delivery schemes across many programmes and today, budget 2026 has an additional €1.94 billion.

In terms of current funding, between 2025 and 2026, there will be an increase of €600 million, while capital spending from the Vote will grow by over €1.3 billion from the existing level as was agreed under the national development plan during the summer. These increases in provision are coming at a time when they are acutely needed, and I am very clear about this. My Department's portfolio is both significant and broad and, indeed, the Department in some way or another genuinely touches the lives of everyone in this country. My Department is working tirelessly to deliver for people in terms of housing supports, planning services, water investment and local government, and this very significant level of funding will be instrumental in the delivery of homes, support services, infrastructure and amenities for people and families across Ireland. In budget 2026, the total Exchequer funding being made available for the delivery of housing programmes is €7.21 billion, comprising capital funding of €5.19 billion and current funding of €2.02 billion. The Exchequer capital provision of €5.19 billion will be supplemented by the Land Development Agency investment, projected at up to €1.6 billion, and Housing Finance Agency lending projected at over €2 billion, resulting in an overall capital provision of over €9 billion.

To truly meet the scale of housing demand, we absolutely must, and I am committed to, delivering more homes across all tenures. We are building more social homes than we have in a generation, and we intend to further scale up delivery. Therefore, an increased capital allocation of €2.9 billion has been provided to support local authorities and approved housing bodies in the delivery of 10,200 newly built social homes in 2026. This funding will also ensure the continuation of the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme. Overall, housing funding will support 29,000 additional households in 2026 by meeting the social housing needs of an additional 21,500 households and supporting a further 7,500 households to buy or rent at an affordable price. The targeted delivery in 2026 builds on the very significant progress already achieved in the delivery of social, affordable and cost-rental homes and the unlocking of private delivery. A strong and secure social and affordable housing pipeline is in place and continues to be expanded for the immediate and medium-term delivery of new homes.

Addressing homelessness must remain one of the most critical focus areas of the Government. Accelerating supply is key to that both in terms of the exits to secure tenancies and of preventions. We need to be sufficiently resourced, nonetheless, to ensure that local authorities can provide emergency accommodation, homeless prevention and tenancy sustainment services and other services to house those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Some €563.5 million will be provided across current and capital funding in 2026. Over €500 million has been allocated to housing infrastructure in the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, in 2026 to support the work of the housing activation office in addressing infrastructure blockages and accelerate housing delivery, and to support the delivery of affordable and social housing on State-owned land. In addition to securing the delivery of additional social and affordable and cost-rental homes, the funding budget in 2026 also ensures investment for the new housing plan; providing enhanced supports for people with disability, older people and Travellers; enhancing measures to tackle urban apartment viability, vacancy and better utilisation of existing stock; continuing a broad range of retrofitting remediation; estate regeneration and maintenance programmes; and providing supports to the rental sector.

There have been record levels in investment in water services by Uisce Éireann over recent years, and this will continue under the updated national development plan, which includes €12.2 billion for water services of which €11.7 billion is for Uisce Éireann. This budget also provides for critical and capital investment in other areas such as Met Éireann and fire and emergency services.

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