James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my fellow scalder, Senator Cathal Byrne, for his kind comments. I know his family are very proud of him as well for being here in the Seanad.

I thank all Senators for their contributions this afternoon. As with the recent debates in the Dáil, today's engagement will help to reform our approach to the challenges we face. Before drawing this afternoon's debate to an end, I reaffirm our commitment to tackling the many challenges in the housing sector. Housing has become a serious social challenge that is having an outsized impact on people's lives. We must act with unprecedented urgency to meet the challenge and ensure that all of us in the State have safe, secure and affordable homes.

We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge. We are putting the work in, day in and day out. We are making progress. The Government has provided the first affordable homes in a generation. From a standing start when Housing for All was published in 2021, we have delivered more than 10,000 affordable housing supports, with delivery in 2024 likely to significantly exceed the 2023 outturn. Our ambition is to deliver much more. The programme for Government commits to support the delivery of 15,000 starter homes, on average, each year during its lifetime. We will do this by redoubling our efforts and continuing our close working partnership with local authorities and other delivery partners.

The social housing programme has resulted in the greatest number of social homes delivered for many decades. We will continue to build on this. Supporting households experiencing homelessness remains our priority. I reaffirm Ireland's commitment to working to eradicate homelessness by 2030. Budget 2025 allocates more than €300 million to this end, up €61 million on the 2024 allocation. In addition, €12 million in capital funding is being provided for supported emergency accommodation for families and individuals experiencing homelessness. We have also committed to creating 2,000 Housing First tenancies to target long-term homelessness. Earlier this week my Department wrote to all local authorities to confirm its continued support for a targeted second-hand social housing acquisitions programme for 2025. This will allow us to continue responding to acute local situations. The allocation of €325 million this year will support a significant programme of acquisitions for identified priority categories of need. I specifically asked local authorities to focus support on the most vulnerable households, including tenant in situ acquisitions, older persons and persons with disabilities, those exiting homeless services and buy-and-renew acquisitions that tackle vacancy. Prioritising vulnerable households for support is important, but it does not mean excluding others. It will be a matter for local authorities to determine how they can best respond to local needs and priorities.

Delivering 60,000 new homes by 2030, supporting 15,000 starter homes per year and delivering an average of 12,000 social homes presents combined and individual challenges. While these targets reflect a considerable level of ambition, I believe they are credible. I am confident the step-change in delivery since 2022 provides a robust platform on which the supply of new homes can be substantially increased over the next six years and thereafter. To this end, we will work to grow capacity in the residential construction sector. We will continue to invest in modern methods of construction, having accelerated the pace of construction and enhanced efficiencies, and increasing the construction sector's capacity to support the uplift in housing targets by the end of the decade.

I am acutely aware of the frustrations experienced with the planning system. I am confident that reforms being introduced through the new Planning and Development Act will alleviate many of the frustrations and bring the certainty and confidence needed to plan for and deliver the scale of housing we need. There are also increased resources for An Bord Pleanála, which have already yielded significant improvements in its performance, since the Government invested a doubling of resources in that organisation. State investment, which is critical to crowding in much-needed private investment, will continue to grow in the coming years. We have no choice in that regard if we are to deliver at least 300,000 new homes by the end of the decade. Budget 2025 provides for record investment in housing, with €6.8 billion in capital funding now available, and a further €1.65 billion in current funding also being provided to address housing needs. However, it remains the case that delivering an average of 50,000 homes per year to 2030 will require an estimated €20 billion of development finance each year. Despite historic levels of State investment, the simple fact is that a large proportion of private capital must come from international sources. Without it, we risk exacerbating our supply and affordability challenges, in particular in the private rental sector.

A review of rent pressure zones, RPZs, will also be critical in this regard. The review is considering if RPZs should continue as is or be removed, modified or replaced, as well as looking at potential future policy options and how they might be implemented. I hope to bring proposals to the Government on foot of the review in the near future. I reaffirm my commitment to ensuring that whatever changes are made, our priority focus will continue to be on protecting renters and securing affordability in the private rental sector.

Once again, I thank all the Senators who contributed this afternoon. I will not shy away from the challenges ahead. I am committed to considering all means at my disposal to address the challenges, building on the robust platform and increased supply under Housing for All, and striving to deliver more than 300,000 new homes by 2030.