Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for their contributions. I was listening in my office to some of the contributions when the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was here. I will respond to some of the points raise before I give my closing statement.

Regarding the point made by Senator Moynihan about the Land Development Agency, I disagree with her. She states that it is not setting up and that is not the case. I think it will prove to be a very effective organisation over time. She also spoke about more affordable and cost rental homes. Those will be delivered and are being delivered at scale under the Housing for All scheme.

I note the positive comments regarding the tenant in situscheme, which has been hugely significant over recent months and in the last year in particular.

Senator Casey raised the delivery of social housing in Wicklow. The figures speak for themselves in terms of affordable housing schemes and cost rental homes in Greystones and other areas. On the help to buy scheme and the loan to value ratio and the first home scheme, we will take on board the points raised by the Senator and get back to him on them.

I thank Senator Dolan for her comments regarding the 70-unit turnkey development in Ballinasloe. This is very significant and transformative in a town like Ballinasloe.

The Senator also raised issues around the funding to local authorities and income thresholds in Roscommon and the lower band rates for HAP there. We will take these points on board and come back to the Senator. It is perhaps an anomaly that the Senator has pointed out on the Roscommon side of Athlone.

The issues regarding shared equity and the help to buy scheme and the staged payments for Croí Cónaithe have been raised in the Dáil by a number of Deputies. The upfront cost is an issue although it is an incredibly generous scheme. I can see why it has been so popular.

From the heritage side we have added to the scheme with a €7,000 conservation advice grant. It is a really good initiative and there has been good uptake of it. It offers the opportunity of a site visit by a conservation architect and a report on the conservation approach for the site. It is very useful for traditional farmhouses in particular. I urge people to avail of this €7,000 grant.

All the Senators have raised challenging points that we face in meeting the housing needs of young people, our homeless and those now making a new life in Ireland. This Government is using all its available levers to address the housing crisis. We are building on significant achievements over the past two years since the publication of the Housing for All document.

As we all know, many things have changed since the initial launch of the plan. Some of these changes were anticipated, but many could not have been foreseen, such as the level of inflation, the war in Ukraine and the extent of supply chain issues. These are just a few examples of what is a very changed landscape. Housing for All was intentionally designed as a living document and we have said this from the outset. The Government's pledge to regularly review and revise the plan guarantees its ongoing flexibility, relevance and adaptability to address issues as they arise. Critically, it returns the State to a central role in the provision of social and affordable housing in the largest State-led home building programme ever.With the second annual review soon to be published, this is a good time to reflect on what has been achieved. For the past 25 months, Government has taken extensive action to accelerate the delivery of new homes and we will continue to do so until the housing crisis is resolved once and for all. Completions of almost 22,500 new homes were seen in the first nine months of the year, with over 30,000 completions expected by the end of the year. As the Minister said at the outset, we now expect to exceed that figure this year and we will exceed it again next year. The Government is conscious about the debate on our overall housing targets. These need to be updated in light of the recent census figures as well as the impact of the major influx from those fleeing conflict in Ukraine and elsewhere. I expect we will have preliminary updated targets early next year in the context of the review of the national planning framework.

Although many things have changed, we are well aware and concerned around the significance of the issue of homelessness and the profound effect it is having on people’s lives. We continue to support households at risk of homelessness so that they can be prevented from entering emergency accommodation and supporting those in emergency accommodation to exit into secure tenancies as quickly as possible. The long-term solution is to provide safe and secure housing options for those in need. That is our key focus and our aim is to provide 90,000 new social homes and 54,000 affordable purchase and cost-rental homes over the lifetime of Housing for All. The latter is focused on addressing the challenges of supply and affordability in the rental market. The plan has specific measures and is supported by multi-annual State investment aimed at increasing the supply of affordable homes to rent. The Minister focused on delivery. I will focus on some energy measures in the Housing for All plan.

This Government is working hard to ensure that people’s houses are warmer, healthier and more energy efficient and is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 51% by 2030 in line with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021. To help achieve this objective, nearly zero energy building regulations were introduced for all new dwellings in 2019. All new dwellings now have an A-rated building energy rating, BER, and almost 90% of new dwellings now install renewable energy heat pumps for their heating needs. We have also introduced requirements that all existing dwellings undergoing major renovations should achieve a B2 BER or cost-optimal equivalent. In 2022, the Government launched unprecedented grant supports for home energy upgrades and increased numbers of free retrofits for those at risk of energy poverty. This not only helps to reduce emissions but also makes homes easier and cheaper to heat and light. Following the introduction of the new measures, over 27,200 home energy upgrades were supported in 2022, including 4,438 upgrades provided to households at risk of energy poverty. This upward trend has continued this year, with almost 30,000 home energy upgrades supported by the end of August. In addition, we are committed to retrofitting 36,500 social housing units, or 40% of available units, to a BER of B2 by 2030, and we will continue to implement these ambitious targets in line with the forthcoming climate action plan 2024 and the draft energy performance of buildings directive, expected to be adopted this year.

Looking forward to the longer term, the Government expects to shortly receive the report of the Housing Commission. The commission has been tasked to advise Government on the future of housing policy beyond the current response to our housing needs. Specifically, it is looking at tenure, standards, sustainability and quality of life issues in the provision of housing, all of which have long-term impacts on communities. It will examine the functioning of the markets and it will also bring forward proposals on the wording for a referendum on housing. I expect the commission’s report will be a valuable contribution to the debate on Irish housing policy and will be something this House will wish to discuss in future debates.

I will close by assuring Senators that new homes are being built at a record pace. The Government is aware that there are some who are not yet feeling the effects of the plan. It will take time for the measures outlined in Housing for All and the additional supply to make the impact needed. However, we are taking unprecedented measures to support first-time buyers through the help to buy and first home schemes, to support people who rent through new and expanded tax credits, and to support people at danger of eviction through expanded buy to let and cost cental tenant in situschemes. We are supporting affordability through new affordable housing schemes and supporting compact development by ensuring the viability of apartment development through our secure tenancy affordable rental investment scheme. It is not just about delivering units. It is critically important that we build sustainable communities too.

It is important to recognise that there is no easy fix to the challenges we face, but to acknowledge the significant work that has been done. The first two years of Housing for All have established a strong foundation for our success. The implementation of our affordability initiatives and reform of our planning system will be fully realised as they gain momentum over the coming months and years.In addition, the introduction of the cost-rental model will impact positively on the rental market. However, possibly most importantly, while we will adapt to our constantly evolving environment, one thing that will not change is the core message of the plan. The aim of my Department and the Government is to provide well built, affordable and sustainable housing for all.