Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1192. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if consideration has been given to setting up housing co-operatives with a view to bringing housing costs within the reach of those on the average industrial wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1729/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The approved housing body sector includes a number of housing co-operatives whose objectives are to provide social and affordable housing. These bodies are supported through a range of schemes for both social and affordable housing which are funded by the State through the local authorities. As part of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan, approved housing bodies have been given the task of delivering up to a third of the 50,000 social housing homes targeted in the Plan over the period 2016 to 2021 and are being supported in their work in this regard by a range of actions by local authorities, including the provision of public land for housing developments.

There have been instances where local authorities have facilitated housing developments through supporting co-operatives to deliver housing under the low cost sites scheme. In the future, the main method of delivery of affordable housing will be directly by local authorities and through approved housing bodies. With the introduction of a new affordable purchase housing scheme, coupled with the Serviced Sites Fund, there will be further opportunities for approved housing bodies, including co-operatives, to provide affordable housing, provided they can demonstrate the capacity to deliver housing and are in compliance with the priorities for affordable housing set out by the relevant local authority.