Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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123. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on the way the construction sector can increase the use of timber framed dwellings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3546/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 new homes per year over the next decade.

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) is used to describe a range of offsite manufacturing and innovative onsite techniques that provide alternatives to traditional house building, including timber framed dwellings. MMC can be completed dwelling units manufactured in a factory setting and transported to site, or panelised components manufactured in a factory and assembled on site. All MMC systems must be of a high quality, comply with all requirements of the Building Regulations and have a 60 year durability.

MMC has been identified as a key measure to address increased housing delivery and methods to support increased use of MMC are set out in Pathway 5 of Housing for All. Indeed, the Housing for All Action Plan Update, which was published on 2 November, reiterated this point and includes a new action to develop a roadmap with targets for increased use of MMC in public housing.

In this regard, the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment (DETE) has overseen the establishment of and chairs an interdepartmental Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Leadership and Integration Group.

The Group is tasked with coordinating initiatives to support innovation, public procurement, sustainability, housing and the education and skills agenda in the construction industry, including:

- The recently launched Construct Innovate Technology Centre, funded by DETE through Enterprise Ireland.

- The establishment of a Demonstration Park for MMC at the Mount Lucas National Construction Training Centre, operated by Laois Offaly Enterprise and Training Board (LOETB), in conjunction with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and SOLAS.

- Progressing a package of proposals which will further support the use and development of MMC in delivery of social housing by my Department.

The Construction Industry Federation, with the support of the Construction Sector Group has published a report on the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction by Industry which is available at the following link : cif.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1271-CIF-Modern-Methods-of-Construction-Report-v4.pdf