Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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60. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of any reports he has received to date in 2022 from the Galway social housing task force pursuant to the terms of reference of the task force; if he will provide copies of these reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46977/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I am expecting a report from the Galway Social Housing Task Force before the end of this year and this will be made available to the Deputy once it is available.

The Task Force has continued to meet consistently, with the most recent meeting held this month and the next meeting scheduled for November 2022.

I will be staying in contact with the Task Force and its work and I am keen that it will have a productive role in advancing our housing agenda in Galway.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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62. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of new social, affordable and private houses that commenced and completed construction in County Kildare in the past 12 months, by municipal district; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47103/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Data in relation to housing commencements, broken down by local authority area, is published by my Department on a monthly basis and can be accessed via the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts/

Data in relation to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via the following link:

www.cso.ie/en/statistics/buildingandconstruction/newdwellingcompletions/

The delivery of social and affordable housing is underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans 2022 – 2026.  A copy of Kildare County Council’s plan can be accessed on their website at the following link:

kildarecoco.ie/YourCouncil/Publications/Housing/

My Department publishes comprehensive social housing programme level statistics on a quarterly basis in all local authority areas, including Kildare County Council. This data is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/

My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), which provides details of social housing developments that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent CSR (for Quarter 1 2022) is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/6912a-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q1-2022/

A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis at the link: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q1-2022?package_type=dataset

Local authorities have begun collating information on delivery of affordable homes in their area in the same manner as is currently undertaken for social housing. It is intended that information across all delivery streams, including AHB delivery and LDA delivery, will be gathered centrally and I expect that my Department will be in a position to begin reporting on affordable delivery in national quarterly statistics later this year.

As the Deputy may be aware, the First Home Scheme, launched in July, now provides affordable housing options nationally via an equity support of up to 30% for First Time Buyers of new homes.  I am advised that the scheme will publish quarterly statistics from October and I understand from initial feedback that application levels from Kildare County are amongst the highest in the country.

Separately and supported by Departmental funding, Kildare County Council has confirmed that construction is expected to begin on 10 affordable purchase homes of a mixed tenure housing development at Ardclough Road in Celbridge, next year, with projected delivery of these affordable homes by Q1 2025. 

In relation to Cost Rental, approximately 242 homes are scheduled to be delivered in Kildare in 2022 and 2023, across 4 different sites.  The necessary financial and commercial arrangements in relation to a number of these projects are being completed by the AHBs concerned and full details will be made public as arrangements are concluded.

In addition, the LDA has submitted a revised planning permission for 219 social, affordable and cost rental units at Devoy Barracks in Naas, Co. Kildare.  Details of the number and type of homes to be delivered by the LDA will be confirmed by the LDA as plans advance and further information can be found at lda.ie/