Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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1520. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the new affordable housing scheme will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15272/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The delivery of more affordable homes, to buy or rent, is a major priority for Government, focusing in particular on the cities of Dublin, Galway and Cork, where people are facing the greatest affordability challenge.  Increased delivery of homes at more affordable prices will involve local authorities developing their own residential land bank, comprising some 1,700 hectares, to its full potential. Where appropriate, it will include local authorities working with approved housing bodies and realising a mix of tenures from these lands, including affordable purchase and/or cost rental. 

Recognising that there are enabling infrastructure requirements on some sites, I am also providing Exchequer funding of €25 million over 2018 and 2019 for a targeted programme, where the local authority will make low-cost serviced sites available for affordable housing, within the parameters of the overall affordable purchase scheme that will be set down in Regulations.  My Department is currently drawing up the criteria for access to this fund, taking account of broader policy on affordable housing, and will be inviting submissions from local authorities in the coming weeks.

I expect local authorities to be pro-active in developing and bringing forward innovative concepts regarding the use of their land for the delivery of both affordable homes for purchase and rent.  Arising from the second Housing Summit with local authority Chief Executives in January 2018, I asked each local authority to furnish a report to me, setting out their plans for delivery of both social and affordable housing, with a particular focus on affordable home provision in the main urban centres, where the greatest challenges exist. These reports have recently been received and are under consideration by my Department.

In overall terms, from initial estimates, I expect that in the region of 3,000 new affordable homes can be made available through a range of schemes and initiatives, with the long-term ambition for some 10,000 additional affordable homes to be provided for sale or rent, as the initiatives are rolled out.

The affordable purchase scheme will be based on the relevant provisions of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the relevant commencement provisions and enabling regulations are currently in preparation and will be finalised in the coming weeks. In terms of cost rental initiatives, my Department is working with local authorities and other stakeholders with a view to announcing the first major cost rental project in Dublin shortly, with a cost rental programme across Dublin and other cities to follow.