Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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317. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if an audit has been carried out to determine the best value for money to his Department of direct build local authority houses compared with housing assistance payment, HAP, or rent support given that neither of the latter schemes present a permanent resolution to the applicants' housing needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3544/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. The annual targets include the delivery of 88,400 new social homes and 53,800 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2030.

Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency (LDA) and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency. The Government policy is to increase the supply of social housing through build programmes and I have issued targets to local authorities for period 2022-2026 to deliver 47,600 new build social homes. However, while we will continue to support households in HAP tenancies and to support households on the social housing waiting list to obtain a HAP-supported tenancy in the private-rented sector, as the numbers of new build social homes increases under Housing for All, there will be a reduced reliance on HAP.

In October 2020, the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, published a Spending Review on the Social Housing Build Programme. The Review examined the social housing build programme over the years 2016 to 2019 and considered issues such as Use of Build Delivery; Type of Units, Cost & Speed of Delivery and Cost Efficiency and Market Interaction. The Review is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/daf0c-spending-review-papers-2020/#housing

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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318. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which his Department continues to assess the extent to which the Housing for All programme continues to make serious inroads on the local authority housing shortage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3545/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for Allis the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. The Plan is backed by historic levels of investment with in excess of €20bn through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency and the Housing Finance Agency over the next 5 years. This will provide the sector with the stability and certainty it needs.

Indications of increased construction activity are becoming evident which will help increase the supply and availability of housing. There is a strong supply pipeline, with latest Commencement Notices data showing a total number of 30,724 residential dwellings commenced in 2021. The 2021 total is almost equal to the combined totals for 2016 and 2017 (30,816).

With regard to the number of homes built, in the year to Quarter 3 2021, almost 21,000 new dwellings were completed. This represents a 6.8% year-on-year increase. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) will publish its Q4 2021 New Dwelling Completions data in the coming days. Completions for 2022 and 2023 are projected to exceed the Housing for Alltargets of 24,600 and 29,000 respectively. The Central Bank forecasts that some 27,000 and 31,000 homes will be completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The most recent CSO figures on planning permissions also show a strong pipeline, with 39,077 units (apartments/flats and houses) granted planning permission in the 12 months to end Q3 2021.

With regard to Local Authority housing delivery, and in line with Housing for All, each Local Authority has developed and submitted a Housing Delivery Action Plan to my Department in December 2021. The Plans set out details of both social and affordable housing delivery, as appropriate, over the period 2022-2026. My Department is currently engaging with local authorities on these plans, in particular their alignment with the targets and policy objectives set out in Housing for All. The Plans will be published in Quarter 2.

The Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) published by my Department shows the ongoing delivery of social housing across the country. The CSR provides an outlined breakdown of Local Authority and Approved Housing Body (AHB) social housing new-build activity from 2016 to date. The CSR provides details of the individual projects that make up the new Build programme for each Local Authority. The most recent report for Quarter 3, shows that there were 9,746 social homes onsite with an additional 9,559 homes at design and tender stage. During Quarter 3 2021, 105 new construction schemes, (1,780 homes) were added to the pipeline.

To support Local Authorities in the delivery of affordable homes, the Affordable Housing Fund has replaced the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF). The Fund has been open for applications from 1 September 2021. My Department has actively engaged with the Local Authorities to support and encourage them to develop and submit proposals. The homes that Local Authorities deliver under the Affordable Housing Fund will be sold at least 15% below open market value in respect of Affordable Purchase homes and in the order of 25% below open market value prices in respect of Cost Rental homes.

The delivery of Cost Rental homes is a key affordability measure under Housing for All, with State-backed rents that are in the order of 25% below what they would be on the private market. 65 cost rental homes have been tenanted to date, in developments in Balbriggan and Leixlip, and a further 1,580 cost rental homes are targeted for delivery in 2022.

Furthermore, the Land Development Agency (LDA) has a key role in the delivery of affordable homes, including through “Project Tosaigh” aimed at accelerating the delivery of up to 5,000 homes. The first delivery stream of this LDA initiative to bring privately developed units to market affordably and quickly was launched on 12 November 2021. The LDA issued a call for Expressions of Interest for advance purchase agreements to developers, with a target scheme scale in excess of 150 units per development, in the Greater Dublin Area, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The Expressions of Interest submitted are currently being assessed by the LDA with their priority focus and engagement being on schemes with potential delivery in 2022 and 2023.

Increased capacity of the public service to deliver, along with the streamlining of approval processes in relation to housing delivery are key priorities under Housing for All. Over 200 additional posts have been sanctioned and are in the process of being filled across Local Authority housing delivery teams in order to deliver on the scale of Housing for All'sambition.

Increasing the supply of housing as set out in Housing for Allis the top priority for me and the Government and we have made a good start on our path towards this goal. However, I acknowledge that we are coming from a low base of supply and that it will take some time before the full benefits of the strategy are tangible to our citizens.

The housing challenge remains immense, and continues to be affected by ongoing challenges including COVID-19 related delays, supply chain difficulties and inflationary pressure. The cost of housing – for those buying or renting - will continue to be a challenge in the short-term and, while we do not underestimate the difficulties this is causing for our citizens, I am confident that the delivery of Housing for Allwill create a sustainable housing system into the future.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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319. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when a review will be undertaken of the thresholds for qualification for local authority housing or Rebuilding Ireland housing loans with particular reference to the urgent need to remove the most regularly identified obstacles in the path of those seeking rehousing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3546/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland was published in September 2021 and, as part of a broad suite of social housing reforms, committed to reviewing income eligibility for social housing. The review, which examined inter aliathe efficiency of the current banding model and income limits applicable to local authorities, was completed in Q4, 2021. I expect to make a decision on proposed changes and recommendations shortly.

The introduction of the Local Authority Home Loan was announced as part of Housing For All. This is the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for people on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is available for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The Local Authority Home Loan can also be used for the purchase of homes through State schemes such as the Tenant Purchase Scheme and Affordable Housing Schemes, with the exception of the First Home Scheme.

The Local Authority Home Loan assists borrowers in securing an affordable, long-term fixed rate mortgage to purchase a home of their own. The Scheme supports homeownership amongst lower to moderate income households by reducing the cost of mortgage finance and increasing the level of financing available, particularly for single applicants in urban areas. For clarity, the Local Authority Home Loan supports private home ownership and is separate from the qualification for social housing.

A 'Fresh Start' principle also applies to the Local Authority Home Loans scheme. This means that people who are divorced, legally separated/separated or the relationship has ended and have no interest in, or any financial obligation for any borrowings in respect of the family home are eligible to apply under this scheme. People who have undergone personal insolvency/bankruptcy proceedings will also be eligible to apply for the Local Authority Home Loans Scheme.

Under the Local Authority Home Loan scheme the income ceiling for a single applicant in counties where the scheme's house price limit is €320,000 (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow) has been increased from €50,000 to €65,000. In the rest of the country, where the scheme’s house price limit is €250,000, the income ceiling for a single applicant will remain at €50,000. The income ceiling for joint applicants remains at €75,000.

Further details can be found on the following websites: //localauthorityhomeloan.ie/ and www.gov.ie/en/service/00500-local-authority-home-loan-scheme/.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which it remains possible to accelerate the local authority house building programme and the use of Rebuilding Ireland housing loans or local authority-led loans in the short term with particular reference to the need to achieve a more rapid turnover of the applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3547/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to increasing social housing delivery and plans to deliver more than 90,000 social homes to 2030 through our Housing for All Plan. Social Housing build and long term lease targets issued to local authorities in September 2021 for the period 2022 - 2026. 47,600 new social homes will be built between 2022 and 2026.

The focus of the social housing programme will be to increase the number of new-build homes, with a target to reach delivery of more than 9,500 new-build homes on average each year for the next five years to 2026.

The introduction of the Local Authority Home Loan was announced as part of Housing For All. This is the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans Scheme. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for people on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is available for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The Local Authority Home Loan can also be used for the purchase of homes through State schemes such as the Tenant Purchase Scheme and Affordable Housing Schemes, with the exception of the First Home Scheme.

The Scheme supports homeownership amongst lower to moderate income households by reducing the cost of mortgage finance and increasing the level of financing available, particularly for single applicants in urban areas.

For clarity, neither the Local Authority Home Loan, nor its predecessor the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, are used to finance the local authority house building programme.

Further details can be found on the following websites: //localauthorityhomeloan.ie/ and www.gov.ie/en/service/00500-local-authority-home-loan-scheme/.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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321. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he contemplates easing the housing loan deposit required by local authority housing loan applicants who are currently in private rental accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3548/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build.

To support prudential lending, applicants must have a deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the market value of the property. Of this deposit, cash savings should provide no less than 3% of the market value of the property and applicants must provide bank or similar statements for a 12-month period immediately prior to making an application clearly showing a credible and consistent track record of savings. Gifts can comprise the remaining 7% of the market value of the property where their source is verified. The 10% deposit applies irrespective of previous housing tenure, and I have no plans to change this requirement.

The availability of the Help to Buy scheme for first-time buyers offers additional assistance to purchasers using the Local Authority Home Loan to buy newly built properties. This should alleviate some of the challenges faced by first-time buyers in accessing the 10% deposit of the market value of the property. The initiative has been designed to provide immediate and targeted support for first-time buyers in meeting their deposit requirements and encouraging the construction of new housing units.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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322. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which he continues to liaise with the various local authorities throughout the country with a view to the elimination of obstacles that tend to slow down funding towards housing by the various local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3549/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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324. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing projects currently available and ready to go in respect of private or public sectors by county; the specific or particular obstacles to enabling such projects to proceed immediately in the event of there being a common problem; if the issue can be addressed at an early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3551/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 322 and 324 together.

The recently published Housing for All strategy is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade, including an average of 10,000 social homes per annum from 2022-2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4b per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn in funding through the Housing Finance Agency over a five year period.

The Department's administrative and funding measures are put in place to support and foster the development of social and affordable housing and to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. Under Housing for All, a whole of Government approach is being taken to further improve and streamline those processes which support the delivery of housing across all tenures. Increasing the overall supply of housing is at the centre of the Housing for All plan. This includes direct investment in social and affordable housing, reforms to ensure availability of land, measures to support the viability of development and ensuring there is sufficient investment and capacity to support housing construction.

The latest data on Commencement Notices shows that a total number of 30,724 residential dwellings commenced in 2021: a 42% increase compared to 2020 (21,686). Of the 30,724 new dwellings commenced in 2021, 82.7% of these were scheme developments (25,409) and 17.3% were single houses (5,315).

In the year to Quarter 3 2021, almost 21,000 new dwellings were completed. This represents a 6.8% year-on-year increase. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) will publish its Q4 2021 New Dwelling Completions data in the coming days with completions for 2022 and 2023 projected to exceed the Housing for Alltargets of 22,600 and 29,000 respectively. The Central Bank forecasts that some 27,000 and 31,000 homes will be completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The most recent CSO figures on planning permissions also show a strong pipeline with almost 40,000 units (apartments/flats and houses) granted planning permission in the 12 months to end Q3 2021.

A detailed Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR) is published each quarter by my Department. The CSR provides details of the individual social housing new build projects, that make up the new build programme for each local authority. The most recent publication covers the period up to the end of Quarter 3 2021, and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/feea9-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q3-2021/.

There has been extensive engagement between my Department and local authorities, both on the preparation of Housing for All and its implementation. I held two summits with local authority chief executives in 2021, in addition to bi-lateral engagements with most local authorities. I will be holding another summit with local authority chief executives in February, focused on the implementation of Housing for All measures.

A key action under Housing for All required local authorities to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan, setting out details of social and affordable housing delivery over the next five years. All local authorities submitted their plan to me in December and my Department is engaging with local authorities on these plans, in particular their alignment with the targets and policy objectives set out in Housing for All. The Plans will be published in Quarter 2. There will be ongoing engagement with my Department to support the implementation of these Plans.