James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

The absolute priority for me, the Department and the Government is to maximise new builds. That is where we want to be at and, after that, forward-funded schemes to deliver homes where perhaps there is planning permission but which may not otherwise be built. We need to move away from pure turnkey as much and as quickly as possible. A key part of this delivery is the local authority new-build teams. We will ensure they are adequately resourced, fully funded and ring-fenced from other local authority work and dedicated to social and affordable new-build housing projects, which will be absolutely critical in this regard. Accordingly, my Department will support local authorities to establish these new-build teams which will be fully funded by the Department through reimbursement to local authorities on a performance pay basis.

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