Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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35. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of affordable homes that have been built in County Cork to date in 2022. [59574/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing to the required 33,000 homes, on average, per year over the next decade. 54,000 affordable home interventions will be delivered between now and 2030 to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.

In implementing the key objectives under Housing for All, each local authority has prepared and published a Housing Delivery Action Plan in respect of local authority supported or overseen delivery from 2022 to 2026. I have set individual five-year Housing delivery targets for local authorities. 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need, including Cork City and County Councils, were also set affordable housing delivery targets and asked to include their planned affordable housing delivery in their Housing Delivery Action Plans.

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

2022 represents the commencement of a very ambitious programme of delivery of affordable housing. A pipeline of affordable housing delivery is being developed by local authorities, by approved housing bodies using the Cost Rental Equity Loan and by the Land Development Agency.

To date, affordable purchase homes have been advertised for sale at Boherboy Road, at Tower and at Clonmore, Mallow by Cork City and County Councils and the first 73 Cost Rental homes in Cork were delivered by the Clúid AHB at Lancaster Gate, Cork City earlier this year. Furthermore, the Land Development Agency (LDA) have commenced enabling works on the former HSE site at St. Kevin’s Hospital in Cork City where they have secured planning permission for 265 social and affordable homes.

The First Home Scheme to support affordable purchases of new homes in the private market through the use of an equity share model is in operation nationwide. The Scheme is primarily supporting First Time Buyers in the purchase of new homes within designated regional price ceilings, set with reference to the median prices for new homes purchased by first-time buyers in the area. As of 25 November 2022, 114 applications have been approved for Cork; 76 in Cork County and 38 in Cork City.