David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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298. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his Department’s targets for new affordable housing provision in each local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24371/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Exchequer investment from the National Development Plan, together with Housing Finance Agency lending and Land Development Agency (LDA) investment will mean that through the National Development Plan the Government is committed to investing over €4 bn per annum housing measures between 2021 and 2025. This funding commitment underpins the Government’s ‘Housing for All’ Plan, which commits to more than 9,500 new-build social homes, 4,000 affordable purchase homes and 2,000 Cost Rental homes per year up to 2030, to be delivered across a number of funding mechanisms.

National affordable housing delivery targets were published in Housing for All for 2022 – 2030. Overall targets to 2030 include 54,000 affordable housing units; 36,000 of which will be affordable purchase homes, with the remaining 18,000 to be cost rental units.

From 2022 to 2026, over 28,000 affordable homes are targeted for delivery across all local authority areas.

Within the above figures, targets have been set for overall delivery by the LDA and Approved Housing Bodies. Additional delivery is also projected through Part V, the First Home Scheme and by Local Authorities delivering on their own lands or via advance purchase.

While all Local Authorities are encouraged to bring forward affordable schemes where they are needed, specific targets have been allocated to 18 local authorities to bring forward delivery in addition to LDA, AHB or Part V delivery in their area. These authorities are those where the need for affordable housing is a significant proportion of overall housing need, as per the table below.

In addition to the targeted local authority delivery, affordable purchase and Cost Rental homes will also be made available by AHBs and the LDA as part of the overall affordable housing delivery commitment under ‘Housing For All’.

The delivery targets, for local authority arranged delivery only, for each of the local authorities concerned are shown in this table below:

Where local authorities without affordable housing targets have localised affordability challenges in key towns, they can apply to my Department for funding to develop affordable housing schemes where they can demonstrate that an affordable scheme is needed to address those localised affordability challenges and they can meet the criteria for the Affordable Housing Fund.

Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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299. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the breakdown of the affordable housing targets funded by the affordable housing fund for County Wexford from 2022 to 2026. [24411/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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National affordable housing delivery targets were published in Housing for All for 2022 – 2030. Overall targets to 2030 include 54,000 affordable housing units. Within that, the target for affordable purchase homes is 36,000 dwellings, with a further 18,000 to be cost rental units. From 2022 to 2026, over 28,000 affordable homes are targeted for delivery.

Funding is made available by Government to assist local authority and AHB delivery of affordable housing, for purchase and rent, through the Affordable Housing Fund, previously known as the Serviced Sites Fund (SSF), and the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL).

Wexford County Council received SSF funding approval for a development in Ramsfort Park in Gorey, Co Wexford which will assist in the delivery of 23 affordable purchase homes. Wexford County Council has advised my Department that it is their intention to appoint a contractor with a view to work on this project commencing in early 2023.

No specific target has been set for Wexford County Council regarding the provision of affordable housing and it is a matter for the local authority to consider whether a particular requirement for affordable housing arises and whether it will bring forward specific affordable schemes. My Department and the Housing Agency are available to assist in this regard. Where local authorities have localised affordability challenges in key towns, they can apply to my Department for funding to develop affordable housing schemes where they can demonstrate that an affordable scheme is needed and they can meet the eligibility criteria for the Affordable Housing Fund.

No local authority is excluded from making applications under the Affordable Housing Fund and all local authorities are encouraged to bring forward affordable schemes where they are needed.

The First Home shared equity scheme, under Part 4 of the Affordable Housing Act, will primarily support first-time buyers purchasing newly constructed homes on the private market. This scheme will be available at a national level, including in Wexford, and will incorporate regional price caps reflecting median house price sales. Confirmation of the final details of this scheme is ongoing in conjunction with the relevant stakeholders and it is anticipated that the First Home scheme will be available for applications in the second half of this year.