Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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245. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will conduct an urgent evaluation of the housing needs of the younger generation with a view to a crash programme of house building to accommodate their needs by way of local authority rental or purchase as under the Housing Act 1966 given the likely resurgence of the economy as Covid-19 is brought under control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34189/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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252. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which major construction firms, many of whom are currently engaged overseas, can be encouraged to undertake large-scale building contracts on behalf of local authorities with a view to building affordable properties to purchase and rentable through local authorities as required with a view to making a major impact on the housing needs of a large sector of the population in the shortest possible time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34196/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In terms of the evaluation of housing needs, National Policy Objective 37 of the National Planning Framework (NPF) provides for a Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) to be undertaken in each local authority area. The objective is to ensure long-term strategic housing needs are met. The purpose of the HNDA is to: (1) assist local authorities to develop long-term strategic views of housing need across all tenure, (2) provide a robust evidence base to support decisions about new housing supply, wider investment and housing related services, which inform an overall national housing profile, (3) inform policies about the proportion of social and affordable housing required, and (4) provide evidence to inform policies related to the provision of specialist housing and housing related services. Further information on the HNDA is available online at:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/eaa99-housing-need-and-demand-assessment-hnda/.

The HNDA will inform the provision of housing, including affordable housing, helping to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system, while also recognising that a need for affordable housing exists for people of all ages. Delivery on this commitment is evidenced in the measures contained in the Affordable Housing Bill 2021, currently before the Oireachtas, which provides for three schemes that will increase the supply of affordable homes through (1) affordable homes on local authority lands, (2) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental, and (3) a new affordable purchase shared equity scheme.

The delivery of affordable homes on local authority land is supported by the €310 million Serviced Sites Fund (SSF). In making an application for SSF funding, each local authority must demonstrate that an affordability issue exists in the area in question, and that it is viable to deliver homes with a price reduction of at least 10% below open market values, with the reduction remaining as fully-repayable equity charge against the property. The scheme is targeted at first-time buyers, with some limited exceptions as outlined in the Affordable Housing 2021 Bill.

Currently, 40 SSF projects across 14 local authorities have received approval in principle which, cumulatively, will assist in the delivery of just over 4,200 affordable home to buy or rent. My Department continues to actively engage with local authorities to progress both current and potential projects. The first SSF project to deliver affordable homes for purchase will at the Boherboy project in Cork City, and the first SSF project to deliver Cost Rental homes will be at Enniskerry Road in Dún Laoghaire, both of which will see new homes available later this year.

In addition to the affordable homes to be delivered through the SSF, Budget 2021 allocated €75 million for the Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme, which is aimed at first-time buyers buying a new-build home on private land. It will help these first-time buyers secure their own home by bridging the gap, by means of an equity stake, between the mortgage available to them and the price of the home they want. Work on the detailed design of the proposed scheme is ongoing and at an advanced stage.

The Affordable Housing Bill 2021 will also place a new form of tenure in Cost Rental on a statutory basis for the first time. Cost Rental directly links rents to the cost of provision, rather than market dynamics. Three initial Cost Rental projects are already underway at Enniskerry Road in Stepaside, Emmet Road in Inchicore, and Shanganagh in Shankill.

The provision of Cost Rental housing is also being implemented through the new Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme, which was allocated €35m in Budget 2021. I approved in principle the financing this year of 390 new homes across eight sites, located in Dublin, the Greater Dublin Area, and Cork. CREL support and careful cost management has generated initial rents which are at least 25% below comparable open market prices, delivering significantly improved affordability for renters.

In addition to the measures in the Affordable Housing Bill 2021, the Land Development Agency (LDA) is tasked to work with Government Departments, local authorities, state agencies and other stakeholders to assemble strategic sites in urban areas and ensure the sustainable development of social and affordable homes for rent and purchase. On establishment, the LDA had access to an initial tranche of 8 sites that have near term delivery potential for approximately 3,400 new homes. In partnership with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, the LDA has been granted planning permission for the development of 597 homes on a site in Shanganagh, County Dublin. Approximately 34% of the homes will be for social housing, 51% will be cost rental and 15% will be for affordable purchase. Work has commenced on the construction tender process, with construction anticipated to start in the second half of 2021. Information on the work of the LDA is available at: .

Another key priority of Government is to increase social housing stock nationally by more than 50,000 units, with a key emphasis on delivering new build homes. This is complemented by our support of local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in working in partnership with developers to deliver new social homes through Turnkeys arrangements, which commonly provides a faster delivery of units

Not only will each of the aforementioned measures increase much needed housing supply, they will also help return confidence, and encourage employment, in the construction sector in general. They also reflect the realisation that we need to increase housing supply, not only from the State, but from the private sector as well.

Finally, I would add that the Government’s upcoming Housing strategy, ‘Housing for All’, will detail an extensive range of measures and ambitious targets to underpin the delivery of social and affordable housing over the coming years.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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247. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of applicants currently on each local authority housing waiting list by county; the number who are currently accommodated through HAP or rent supplement; if such applicants are eligible to be rehoused or to qualify for local authority or Rebuilding Ireland loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34191/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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250. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which the numbers on local authority housing waiting lists have fluctuated in the past four years to date excluding those facilitated on HAP or rent support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34194/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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253. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of applicants on the local authority housing waiting lists; the estimated time to meet their housing requirements on the basis of progress to date in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34197/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 247, 250 and 253 together.

Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area are provided in the annual statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA).

The most recent summary, conducted in November 2020, shows that 61,880 households were assessed as qualified for and being in need of social housing support. This represents a decrease of 6,813 households or 9.9% on the last assessment in June 2019. Since 2016, the numbers have decreased from 91,600 to 61,880, a reduction of 32.4%.

Below are the links to the summary reports for 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 which include the total number of qualified households on the waiting lists nationally and breakdowns by each local authority across a range of categories.

In relation to the number of applicants currently on each local authority waiting list who are currently accommodated through HAP, please note that the key figure reported in the SSHA is referred to as ‘net need’. Net need is the total number of households qualified for social housing support whose need for support is not being met. This total excludes the following households:

- Duplicate applications – Where a household has applied to more than one authority for social housing support, only their first application was included in the count.

- Those in receipt of social housing support—for example, households currently living in local authority rented accommodation, approved housing body accommodation, accommodation provided under the HAP scheme, accommodation provided under the RAS, or accommodation provided under the SHCEP schemes.

- Households on a transfer list—any household that has applied for a transfer from an existing form of social housing support including HAP.

However, acknowledging that some households on the waiting list, who avail of HAP, have expectations that they would receive a more traditional form of social housing support, recipients can avail of a move to other forms of social housing through a transfer list. 

Details on the number of applicants on each local authority waiting list whose main need for social housing support is that they are dependent on Rent Supplement can be found at tables 2.5 and A1.5 of the report.

In relation to the estimated time to meet applicants housing requirements, information of this type is not held by my Department. However, details on the length of time spent on the record of qualified households (waiting lists) can be found at tables 2.8 and A1.8 of the report.

SSHA 2020 Report

www.gov.ie/en/publication/970ea-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2020-key-findings/#:~:text=The%20Summary%20of%20Social%20Housing,is%20not%20currently%20being%20met.

SSHA Report 2019

www.gov.ie/en/publication/29da7-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2019-key-findings/

SSHA Report 2018 

www.gov.ie/en/publication/6fab90-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2018-key-findings/

SSHA Report 2017

www.gov.ie/en/publication/6205a6-summary-of-social-housing-assessments-2017/

It should be noted that the SSHA is a point in time snapshot of the demand for social housing support in each local authority area and does not necessarily reflect the dynamic nature of entry to and exit from the housing waiting lists. 

In relation to affordable measures, the Affordable Housing Bill, currently before the Oireachtas, includes provisions to underpin three schemes delivering on the Government’s commitment to prioritise the increased supply of affordable homes through (1) affordable homes for purchase delivered by local authorities, (2) a new affordable purchase shared equity scheme for private homes, and (3) the introduction of a new form of tenure in Cost Rental.

Budget 2021 allocated €75 million for the Affordable Purchase Shared Equity Scheme, one of the aforementioned provisions. It will enable first-time buyers to buy a new home, much sooner than would otherwise be the case, by bridging the gap between what people have and the price of the new home they want, while also building confidence in the construction sector to increase much need housing supply.

Extensive engagement has been undertaken with key stakeholders to ensure the optimum design of the Scheme, and significant feedback has been factored in. Work on the final design of the Scheme is ongoing, in advance of its introduction later this year.

In relation to affordable housing supports more generally, measures such as the Help to Buy Scheme and the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, are available to eligible purchasers nationally to make home ownership more affordable.

An enhanced Help to Buy scheme was announced as part of the €7 billion July stimulus package, which was extended to December 2021 as part of Budget 2021. This allows first-time buyers purchasing a newly-built home – or building one themselves – to claim back up to €30,000 paid in income tax and DIRT on bank deposit interest over the last four years.

The Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage which is for first-time-buyers nationwide to purchase a new or second-hand home or to self-build. This scheme offers loans on competitive terms to those who are unable to secure a sufficient commercial bank loan.

As part of Budget 2019, €310 million was made available to service local authority land for the delivery of affordable housing under the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF). The SSF provides for key enabling infrastructure requirements that will help unlock publicly-owned lands specifically for the provision of affordable homes to buy or rent. This fund sub-vents the cost of facilitating infrastructure, with a current maximum SSF funding amount of €50,000 available per affordable home. This sum is comprised of €44,500 (or 89%) Exchequer contribution and a €5,500 (or 11%) local authority contribution.  On this basis, at least 6,200 more affordable homes, to buy or rent, can be facilitated by this measure. 

To date, funding support of €200 million has been allocated to enable delivery of over 4,200 affordable homes for purchase or rent. €50 million has been allocated to the SSF in 2021.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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248. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will encourage local authorities to give favourable consideration to planning applications from the indigenous population throughout Ireland in circumstances in which they can meet their own housing needs through their own resources thus alleviating the burden on the already stretched construction sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34192/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I am assuming that the question relates to the provision of rural housing for people native to rural areas and that is the basis of my reply.

Since 2018, the National Planning Framework (NPF) is the national planning policy document providing overall strategic policy for the future development of Ireland through specific National Policy Objectives (NPOs) that aim to support the overall rural and small town pattern of development in Ireland and deliver strengthened and diversified rural communities.

Importantly, NPO 19 of the NPF aims to ensure that a policy distinction is made between areas experiencing significant overspill development pressure from urban areas, particularly within the commuter catchment of cities, towns and centres of employment, on the one hand, and other remoter and weaker rural areas where population levels may be low and or declining, on the other. NPO 19 is also aligned with the established approach whereby considerations of social (intrinsic part of the community) or economic (persons working full or part time) need may be applied by planning authorities in rural areas under urban influence.

Under the Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing 2005, which were issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, planning authorities are required to frame the planning policies in their development plans in a balanced and measured way that ensures the housing needs of rural communities are met, while avoiding excessive urban-generated housing. The Guidelines are available on the Government’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/23809-sustainable-rural-housing-development-guidelines/.

Updated Rural Housing Planning Guidelines are currently being prepared that will continue to allow for the development of homes in rural areas while also highlighting the need to manage certain areas around cities and towns in order to avoid over-development of those areas. I expect to receive an initial draft guidelines document in the coming weeks. Given the complexity of the issues involved, the need for environmental assessment and both internal and external consultation, I expect final updated guidelines to be available later in 2021.

In the interim, the NPF objectives together with the 2005 Guidelines, enable planning authorities to continue to draft and adopt county development plan policies for one-off housing in rural areas. My Department communicated to planning authorities (Circular letter PL 2/2017) on 31 May 2017, advising them that the existing 2005 Guidelines remain in place until advised otherwise by the Department.

In relation to the granting of permissions by local authorities, in making a decision in respect of an application for planning permission, planning authorities (and An Bord Pleanála in relation to planning appeals) are required to consider such applications in the context of the relevant Development Plan, or Local Area Plan where one exists for the area, as well as any relevant Ministerial Guidelines.

It is noteworthy that there has been strong delivery of new homes in rural areas nationally in recent years – with more than 25,000 rural house planning permissions granted in last 5 years. In the same period, more than 90% of that number of rural homes were built, comprising around one in three out of all houses completed in Ireland between 2016 and 2020.

Finally, it is unlikely that the construction of rural housing as opposed to scheme housing or apartments would have any alleviating impact on the construction sector. There are diseconomies including supply chain and transaction costs associated with developing housing on multiple dispersed sites in comparison to larger-scale projects on a single site.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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249. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of public lands available throughout County Kildare for the provision of affordable or local authority housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34193/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Land Development Agency (LDA) is currently developing a register of all relevant public lands, which is lands owned by public bodies in population areas greater than 10,000. An initial prototype mapping tool has already been completed and is available on the LDA website.

The Land Development Agency Bill 2021 will put the register on a statutory basis. When completed, it will contain information on all relevant public lands, including lands owned by local authorities in urban population areas greater than 10,000.

In relation to the Kildare area, the LDA have lodged a planning application for a development on the 10.08 acre site at Devoy Barracks in Naas. Subject to a successful grant of planning permission, it is estimated that this site has the potential to provide 221 units. Under the Serviced Sites Fund, the Ardclough Road project in Celbridge, Co. Kildare has received approval in principle and will assist in the delivery of 10 affordable homes.

In relation to local authority land, Section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that, subject to law, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions. As such, it is a matter for each local authority to control its own land assets.

In utilising their own lands for social housing purposes, my Department provides 100% funding to local authorities in this regard. The Housing Delivery Coordination Office works with all local authorities on accelerating their social housing construction programmes, including the activation of existing sites and the acquisition and development of new sites.