Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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609. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the projected average unit cost of a housing unit constructed under a scheme (details supplied) in each of the years 2020 to 2024. [48895/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The cost of constructing new affordable homes is dependent on a range of variables, such as the location, scale of the development, home sizes and infrastructure requirements. Future costs are also obviously dependent on tender price levels and construction market trends at any given time. Any proposals to be brought forward by the body referred to in the 2020 to 2024 period will be a matter for the body itself in the first instance.

The Government's determination to support affordable housing delivery is demonstrated by the €310 million committed to the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), as part of Budget 2019. The Exchequer contribution is €275 million with €35 million to be contributed by local authorities. In 2019 funding of €100 million will be available under the Fund with a further €142 million in 2020 and €68 million in 2021. The funding is available for key facilitating infrastructure, on local authority sites, to support the provision of affordable homes to purchase or rent.

I envisage a maximum amount of SSF funding of €50,000 per affordable home. On the basis of this infrastructure investment, I expect that some 6,200 affordable homes could be facilitated in this way. The prices at which affordable homes supported under the SSF will be made available will be determined on a project by project basis. I expect to advise the relevant local authorities of decisions on the first round of applications under the Fund shortly.