Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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223. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his Department’s total current spend on schemes (details supplied) in 2021 and 2022 (to date), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60429/22]

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of Croí Cónaithe applications received as of 31 October 2022, by county. [60433/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is a key initiative which underpins these policy objectives set out in Pathway Four of Housing for All.

Schemes under the Fund, which are delivered by local authorities, provide new choices for people to live in towns and villages in Ireland, through the provision of a grant to support the refurbishment of vacant properties and by providing serviced sites in towns and villages to people in order to build their own homes.

In July, I launched the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant as part of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. The grant benefits those who wish to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their principal private residence. The grant was initially launched in respect of vacant properties in towns and villages but I am pleased to say that as of the 15 November, the expanded grant also includes eligible vacant properties in both cities and rural areas (in addition to those in towns and villages, which have been eligible since July).  Further information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/969fb-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-expanded-to-cities-and-remote-rural-areas/ 

In September, I launched the Ready to Build Scheme, also funded by the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund. Under the Ready to Build Scheme, local authorities will make serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build their homes. These sites will be available at a discount on the market value of the site for the building of a property for occupation as the principal private residence of the purchaser. All available sites will be advertised on the relevant local authority’s website and / or in relevant local publications along with a closing date for receipt of applications. As the scheme has recently launched, each local authority has been asked to assess suitable sites for the scheme.

When the Fund was launched, I committed to ongoing reviews of the schemes under it. Feedback on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Scheme has been very positive, with 419 applications reported to start November. Details of these applications by local authority are set out in the table below. In order for applications to be assessed and a decision made, specified supporting documentation must be submitted with the application and a site visit carried out by the local authority to asses the works being applied for. In some cases this may involve the local authority reverting to the applicant for additional information. 

It is intended that in future, data on the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund will be published on the Department's website on a quarterly basis.  

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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225. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of affordable housing schemes launched as of 31 October 2022. [60434/22]

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. 18 local authorities with a strong and identified affordable housing need were asked to include their planned affordable housing delivery in their Action Plans. I have also set individual five-year Affordable Housing delivery targets for those local authorities. 

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. Furthermore, 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 shortly.

Furthermore, the First Home Scheme, launched in July this year, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model, similar to that employed in the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme. The Scheme aims to support in the region of 8,000 households in acquiring new homes in the private market in the years 2022 to 2026 with an overall budget of €400 million. The scheme is available nationwide and more information can be found at www.firsthomescheme.ie/.