Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, back to Seanad Éireann, albeit only temporarily. We are delighted to have him here to take this Commencement matter.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit on his appointment. I am sure he is wondering why a Senator from Dublin Central is asking about rural housing planning guidelines, but he knows my remit and that I was elected by councillors from around the country. He is also familiar with the fact that this is issue that was considered by the previous Oireachtas joint committee on housing. It is of great concern to councillors around the country who are trying to represent their constituents.

The sustainable rural housing planning guidelines were introduced in 2005, but the world has changed dramatically since then, not least in terms of housing. Ireland's population has increased significantly and the way we live has changed dramatically, in that we used to live four to six people in a household whereas now it is one to three people, so there is an almost doubling of the need for housing. We have full employment and people are earning a lot more money at a younger age, and they have a reasonable expectation to own their own homes. On top of that we have the changes that came about as a consequence of Covid-19, with remote working, which has created opportunities for people from urban areas to live in rural areas. There was already a pent-up demand in rural areas for housing.

I acknowledge that significant progress was made by the previous Government on increasing the housing budget from less than €500 million per year to more than €4 billion and increasing housing supply from less than 20,000 to more than 30,000 per annum. We all know this is not enough and more needs to be done. If we are to increase housing supply, we need to increase it for all communities, urban and rural alike. We need to support indigenous rural communities to continue to live on their land, but we also need to support those who want to return to enrich, contribute to and become part of those communities.

I acknowledge that the programme for Government contains a strong commitment on rural housing. According to it, the Government will continue to support one-off rural housing, support self-builds through the help-to-buy and first home schemes and the vacant property grants, and commit every local authority to facilitating the construction of serviced sites that provide for three to ten housing units in at least three towns and villages in their areas annually. The Government supports group water schemes and private well grants, implementing the special rural water investment scheme and reviewing the planning and transport guidelines to facilitate rural housing.

This is all well and good, but councillors around the country say that their constituents continue to be frustrated by what they feel is a lack of supportive rural planning guidelines. I appreciate that the Minister of State is new to his role but I hope he will be able to give some good news to those councillors this morning.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new role and I congratulate Senators on their election or appointment to the House. It is good to be back here for the second time this week.

I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important matter. We soldiered together on the joint committee on housing over the past five years. All things housing are important to the Senator, everyone else in the House and me.

As the Senator rightly pointed out, the programme for Government commits to continuing to support rural one-off housing. My Department is considering how best to proceed with updating the rural housing guidelines to bring this matter to a conclusion. This will be a priority for me as Minister of State with responsibility for local government and planning, recognising that rural housing continues to be an important component of overall new housing delivery nationally. The vast majority of one-off houses - well in excess of 90% - are built in rural settings. I wish to highlight that, notwithstanding the need for updated housing guidelines, planning permission has been granted for almost 6,000 one-off houses, on average, every year since 2020. Furthermore, one-off houses comprised 20% of housing completions over the 2020-24 period, with an average of 5,200 completed per annum. It is important to note that completion figures remain relatively high and stable at approximately 5,500 for each of the past three years.

The level of development continues to be facilitated by the national planning framework's national policy objective 15, which is to support the sustainable development of rural areas. Once issued, the updated guidelines will expand on the high-level spatial planning policy of the national planning framework, particularly national policy objective 19, which relates to rural housing. The NPO makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence, that is, those areas within the commuter catchments of cities, towns and centres of employment, where there is a need to facilitate rural housing on the basis of demonstrable economic and social need on the one hand and, on the other, rural areas where population may be low or declining and rural housing may be facilitated on the basis of siting and design. The NPO is also aligned with the established approach whereby considerations of social or economic need are applied by planning authorities in rural areas under urban influence. The updated guidelines are intended to replace the current rural housing guidelines, which date from 2005. These will continue to enable county development plans to continue to provide for housing in the countryside, based on the considerations detailed in the NPF, while balancing this with the need to manage development in certain areas, such as around cities, larger towns and environmentally sensitive areas, in order to avoid overdevelopment.

One of the issues identified in the analysis of various county development plans is that eligibility criteria for rural housing, based on economic considerations such as farming or social ties to an area, are usually based on distance and duration of connection. These can vary significantly from one local authority to another. The updated rural housing guidelines will aim to set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in local authority development plans for rural housing on a consistent basis, based on a high-level policy framework set by the national planning framework, which is currently being finalised.

It is important to assure the House that current and future planning guidelines will continue to enable county development plans to provide for rural housing. I know how important this is in my own area of Waterford and across the country. When they are finalised, the guidelines will be open for comment from the public and the House.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. He articulated the complexity of the issues very well. I recognise that complexity, as do councillors around the country. We all appreciate that the balance between housing, economic, social and environmental needs has to be got right. All of these elements need to be accommodated and protected.We need to be careful not to allow perfection to be the enemy of the good in this instance. It is now going on 20 years since the guidelines were published. A sense of urgency from the Minister of State would be very welcome. It is incredibly important that power does lie with our local authority members, with our city and county councillors, in making their development plans to provide for good, strategic planning for their local authority areas. Those development plans are informed by these guidelines and those guidelines have to reflect the modern environment and the current need. I urge the Minister to work with his Department and the local authorities and stakeholders to ensure we do get guidelines that are fit for purpose at an early moment.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Fitzpatrick. Nationally, rural housing continues to be an important component of overall housing delivery. It is a vital element in the fabric of our society. I look forward to working with the Minster, Deputy Browne, to finalise the completion of the updated rural housing guidelines and to deliver on the programme for Government, which continues to support one-off rural housing. It is important to say that there is no cap or ban on rural housing as it currently stands. As I articulated in my opening statement, rural housing continues to be supported each year. As Minister of State at the Department with responsibility for planning and local government, it is something I wish to continue. We also need to find and strike that balance. That is why it is such a complex piece and is why significant work has gone into it. Even at the point of publishing and updating guidelines, it will still not be done. There is still significant work to be done in terms of engagement and stakeholders. I look forward to working with Senator Fitzpatrick and other Senators on that.