Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his expectations for the delivery of affordable housing in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24661/25]

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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One of the lead indicators of a country's future likely success is how many young people choose to stay. What are the Minister's expectations for affordable housing delivery in 2025, given it will be one of the key tools to ensure our young educated workforce can stay here?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of expectations for the delivery of affordable housing in 2025. I also thank him for his ongoing engagement on this issue, which is one he campaigned very strongly on. The Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures.

In 2024, more than 7,000 affordable housing options were delivered nationwide by a range of delivery partners, exceeding the target of 6,400 for the year. Overall nearly 13,000 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All, which is huge progress from a standing start in 2021. Under Housing for All, the affordable housing delivery target for 2025 is 6,400 and a very strong pipeline is in place across our delivery partners, including local authorities, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency and the first home scheme.

Galway City Council has funding approval in place for three schemes to deliver 124 affordable purchase homes. Galway County Council has funding approval to support delivery of 61 homes in Claregalway. Both local authorities have further proposals in development. In addition, approval is in place for the delivery of the first cost-rental homes by an approved housing body in Galway city this year, with further cost-rental homes to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2025 and beyond and to ensure the affordable housing programme responds effectively to the affordable housing needs identified at a local level.

Under the programme for Government, the Government committed to introduce a new starter home programme across the public, private and AHB sector that promotes home ownership and secures long-term rental tenures for young people and fresh start applicants. My Department is currently progressing that commitment and it will form part of the next housing plan.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins has visited the homes that have been delivered in Claregalway. It is a fantastic initiative and a fantastic price for people to be able to purchase a home. The problem is that in Galway East, we have not seen a single affordable home delivered yet. I know the Minister is aware of this. We need to see affordable homes delivered in towns such as Tuam, Athenry and Loughrea where young people who are commuting into Galway city but want to live closer to home have the option to purchase a home in those areas. The funding approvals for Galway city and Claregalway are welcome. The price is good and the numbers still stack up in County Galway. What I really need to see is a push. When we were campaigning in the general election, so many parent whose children are in Australia would tell me to make sure we get affordable housing right in this Government.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy again for raising this question. It is a matter he has worked very hard on and has campaigned on to ensure we can have those affordable homes, which are an essential part of our housing delivery and to ensure we have private homes people can afford to buy, affordable homes people can access, and social homes across the spectrum so everybody has access to a home they can afford. I hear the Deputy on Galway East. I will be visiting both local authorities in the coming weeks and engaging with them to see what more we can do to support them in delivering affordable homes.

In supporting the development of Galway city and county's affordable housing programme, the Department is funding dedicated affordable housing administrative and technical staffing posts, with seven in Galway city and six in Galway county. There are 14 cost-rental homes to be provided in Barna in early 2026, which should be part of a cost-rental equity loan scheme as well. We want to see more affordable homes and will continue to work with the local authorities and local Deputies.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Galway County Council is not short of ambition when it comes to affordable housing. Our chief executive set out an ambitious plan last year. At the time, I was a councillor. We approved loans for affordable housing across our local authority and sought departmental approval for them. We do not lack the ambition. We have the ambition to deliver the homes. In the town of Athenry, the county council is now going for Part 8 planning in the coming months on two separate sites there. There is the ambition. Affordable housing is starting to come to fruition but we need to ramp it up massively. We need to see an accelerated delivery and we need to see affordability continue throughout that system, right across east Galway. One of the leading indicators for a country's likely future success is how many young people choose to stay.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is rightly passionate about keeping our young people in this country and providing affordable homes as a key solution to keeping young people here. That is what we want to deliver, and we want to accelerate the number of affordable homes that are being delivered. It is certainly something I regard as extremely important. I am working with each local authority to ensure that those affordable homes are available where they are needed in each and every county. I will continue to work with the Deputy and look forward to engaging directly with both local authorities in Galway in the coming weeks when I visit Galway to see how we can ensure those affordable homes are being delivered.