Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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228. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; if a response will issue to their query; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58329/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The allocation of suitable housing to tenants on Clare County Council's social housing waiting list is a matter for the Council and one in which I as Minister have no role.

The Council will have a range of options for the provision of housing solutions including properties that the Council owns, that are leased, rented or contracted to the Council and properties owned and provided by Approved Housing Bodies. This includes, for example, the 51 recently completed homes at Shannon. However in the decisions to allocate available social homes, the local authorities must have regard to their waiting list and their allocation scheme/order of priorities. Again these are matters that are the responsibility of the Council and my Department has no role in determining their priority for allocations.

As a general approach, I have asked local authorities to focus their efforts and resources on new construction and to rely to a significantly lesser degree on acquiring second hand properties. This is particularly important given the risk that private purchasers including first time buyers, could be disadvantaged in competing against Councils for acquisitions.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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229. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which the housing needs demands assessment is being used to determine the level of need for affordable housing in each local authority area in tabular form; and the affordability challenge for each local authority area as determined by the HNDA tool. [58423/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Objective 37 of the National Planning Framework provides for a Housing Needs Demand Assessment (HDNA) by local authorities to ensure their respective long-term strategic housing needs are met. The HNDA is a standardised methodology which quantifies current and projected housing needs of local authority areas, including requirements for different tenures.

Nationally, the proportion of households identified by the HNDA with “affordability constraints” is c.12.5% of total demand arising over the next five years. Not all local authority areas have such a high level of affordably constrained demand. In many areas, sufficient housing is available at prices new households can afford to pay and their HNDAs identify demand with an affordability constraint at a low level or at 0%. However, other local authority areas have significantly higher house prices and affordability constraints greater than 20% of total housing demand. Local authorities are currently at various stages in the preparation of their HNDAs.

The Government has committed in Housing for All to deliver 18,000 Cost Rental Homes and 36,000 Affordable Purchase homes by 2030. This will make a real difference to families experiencing affordability issues and is additional to other Government supports helping prospective house buyers meet the cost of purchasing their own homes, including the national First Home Scheme, Help to Buy and Local Authority Home Loans.