Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his targets for the delivery of starter homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12736/25]

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The programme for Government specifically references to starter homes. There is a very strong challenge in housing generally to deliver increased supply but the provision of starter homes to give individuals and families the prospect of owning a home is something we need to deliver on as a Government. Will the Minister of State outline his targets on this?

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I know housing delivery in particular is something he is very passionate about and that he has always been dedicated to.

As part of the programme for Government, the Government committed to launching a new, comprehensive starter home programme across the public, private and approved housing body, AHB, sector. This promotes home ownership and secures long-term rental tenures for young people and fresh start applicants. As stated in the programme for Government, the starter home programme will support and deliver an average of 15,000 starter homes per year, including through the first home scheme and the help to buy support, in addition to other affordable purchase and cost rental schemes.

The Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. The Government’s ambition is to build on the progress made to date under housing for all, and deliver more than 300,000 homes in the period from 2025 to 2030 equating to an annual average of more than 50,000 homes per year, building up to 60,000 in 2030. Work on translating these revised national housing targets into local, tenure-specific targets is ongoing and at an advanced stage. This work is expected to be completed in the coming months and will be published after the work on the revised national planning framework is complete.

These tenure-specific targets will both inform the revision of existing affordable housing targets and further inform the development of the starter home programme supports set out in the programme for Government which will be set out in the new housing plan.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yesterday, we saw the figure for house price growth of 8.1% last year. The Minister of State will understand there is a lot of concern among first-time buyers, both individuals and families, that the prospect of owning their own home is getting further and further away from them. That is something the Government needs to be acutely aware of. While I welcome the provisions in the programme for Government and the commitments to the help to buy and first home schemes and the continuation of the croí conaithe, etc., we need to keep these under review and try to do everything we can as a government to make home ownership a reality for as many people as we can. I ask the Minister of State and the Department to redouble their efforts on this with the provision of starter homes, which will allow home ownership to become a reality for the majority.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is right. The trends relating to the cost of purchasing properties is concerning but we firmly believe the best way to address that is by delivery. That is why we are committed to delivering 300,000 homes from 2025 to 2030. Since Housing for All started we have delivered 10,000 affordable solutions and that is gathering momentum. Keys for many of the affordable housing schemes in our county of Cork have been given out over the past 12 months or so and there are more in the pipeline. That is something we have to focus on.

A total of 15,000 starter homes a year will make a difference as well as the expansion of the first home scheme and repurposing the local authority home loan, which people have availed of but we need to make it flexible. The Deputy mentioned reviewing the targets. The Minister has committed to a flexible and agile approach to this so that if solutions need to be adapted, we can do so.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The target of 15,000 a year is significant and something that the Government will do its level best to achieve. The specific measures I outlined earlier are very welcome.

I want to raise one specific point about the first home scheme. It is an important vehicle for home ownership. It is a form of affordable housing, without doubt, but many new properties are falling outside the limits of the scheme. That needs to be reviewed in my constituency of Cork South Central where new three-bed semi detached houses are over the limit for the first home scheme. We do not necessarily want to chase price growth and we do not want to be part of the problem by increasing house prices but we have to examine the scheme if it is not working for many prospective purchasers.

Reviewing the home loan and making it more workable and accessible for more people is very welcome and the expansion of the first home scheme to secondhand properties is something that the programme for Government also commits to.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy raised a relevant point about the first home scheme. It is increasing in popularity as reflected by the numbers of people choosing to avail of it. If the goalposts seem to be moving in respect of the cost of houses and many properties are falling outside the scheme, the Minister has made a commitment to be flexible and agile in reviewing the schemes if that is needed. That will be ongoing. Decisions made on an approach to housing will not be set in stone. The previous Government and this Government have shown, and will show, that flexibility and adaptability.