Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the provision of affordable housing in County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3424/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Following the publication of Housing for All, I asked local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. 18 local authorities, including Carlow, were asked to include planned affordable housing delivery in those Plans. I also set five-year Affordable Housing delivery targets for those local authorities last March. Carlow County Council published its final Plan last July.

Funding is available from my Department to assist in the delivery of affordable housing in Carlow. While to date, my Department has not received any application for funding under the Affordable Housing Fund from Carlow, my Department met with Carlow County Council to discuss their affordable housing need and I also discussed affordable housing with them at two Housing Summits last year. Assistance has been offered by both my Department and via the Housing Agency and Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office. Additionally, I have sanctioned two additional staff to support the delivery of affordable housing in Carlow which I expect will assist Carlow County Council to develop their affordable housing pipeline.

Finally, the First Home Scheme, launched last July, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model, similar to 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 from 2022 to 2026 with an overall budget of €400 million. The scheme is available in Carlow and nationwide.