Written answers

Wednesday, 20 May 2020

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

House Prices

Photo of Cian O'CallaghanCian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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1395. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if an analysis of the differences in housing construction costs between homes delivered under a fixed price development agreement and homes delivered under public works contracts is being undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6996/20]

Photo of Cian O'CallaghanCian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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1396. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the constraints to fixed price development agreements being used for the construction of homes on publicly owned land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6989/20]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1395 and 1396 together.

Sites on which public housing is being developed are, in the main, owned by local authorities and, consistent with the Public Spending Code, it is a matter for them as Sponsoring Agencies for such public investment projects to analyse the delivery options. Any option proposed by a local authority for the delivery of public housing, whether based on a public works contract or development agreement, must comply with the Public Spending Code, particularly in terms of obtaining the best possible value for money.

The majority of local authority public housing projects continue to be developed using public works contracts and while development agreements have been little used to date, I am aware of their intended use by Dublin City Council in relation to the O'Devaney Gardens project and their proposed use in relation to the Oscar Traynor Road site. Depending on the decisions and approaches followed by local authorities, development agreements may be suitable for large-scale, mixed-tenure developments. But irrespective of the approach used, it remains the case under the Public Spending Code that local authorities conduct a financial and economic appraisal, which is submitted to my Department as the Approving Authority under the Code.

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