Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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140. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his long-term plan to protect the islands and their Gaeltacht communities by building social houses; if he will instruct the local authorities to give extra points to native Irish speakers and people from the island community who have applied for homes on the islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6326/23]

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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141. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his long-term plan to protect the Gaeltacht communities; if he will instruct the local authorities to give extra points to native Irish speakers who have applied for homes in Gaeltacht areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6327/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together.

The National Planning Framework (NPF) sets out a high-level strategy for planning and development to 2040. The NPF defines ‘Gaeltacht’ as an area in Ireland ‘where the Irish language is, or was until the recent past, the main spoken language of a substantial number of the local population’. This includes many of our inhabited offshore islands. Section 5.2 of the NPF seeks to strengthen Ireland’s rural fabric and this specifically includes Gaeltacht areas and inhabited offshore islands. Section 6.3 of the NPF seeks to protect the Irish language in the areas where it is spoken.

The Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) sets out mandatory objectives for local authorities, which must be addressed in the drafting of their statutory County Development Plan. Section 10(2)(m) of the Act includes a mandatory requirement that, where there is a Gaeltacht area within the area of the development plan, the development plan must include provisions and mandatory objectives for ‘the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht including the promotion of Irish as the community language’.

In July last year, my department published Development Plans – Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2022), which sets out how development plans have a role to play in the protection, enhancement and development of Gaeltacht and island communities. Further to the mandatory objective set out in the Planning Act, the Development Plans guidelines require that a development plan must include objectives for the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht. It states that planning authorities are required to ensure that development plans have regard to the provisions of the particular Language Plan for the area and include objectives to support the promotion of the Irish language. The Guidelines also state that Development plans should include a comprehensive dedicated section for An Ghaeltacht that includes mapping, identifying Gaeltacht area(s) and accompanying policy provisions.

Updated Rural Housing planning guidelines are currently being prepared by my Department and this will encompass policy measures for all rural areas including offshore islands and Gaeltacht areas. It is intended to publish these draft guidelines for a period of public consultation when the environmental assessments are competed. This is expected to happen in the first quarter of 2023. In tandem, section 28 planning guidelines, specifically for Gaeltacht areas are also currently in preparation and these will be published for consultation shortly.

The Interdepartmental Group for planning matters in the Gaeltacht (comprising of officials from my Department, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Údarás na Gaeltachta) is in place to support and accelerate this and other ongoing work related to planning in Gaeltacht areas.

With regard to the issue of allocation of social housing support to qualified households, this is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with its allocation scheme made in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, as amended. This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme which specifies, among other things, the manner of, and the order of priority for, the allocation of dwellings to households on the housing and transfer lists.

It is the local authority which assesses housing applicants, taking into account factors such as the condition and affordability of existing accommodation, medical and compassionate grounds, etc. The authority then prioritises the needs of approved applicants in accordance with its allocation scheme. Planning authorities that have Gaeltacht areas will be encouraged to work with their Irish language officer to ensure the ongoing protection of the Irish language is balanced with the delivery of social housing. Section 22(17) of the 2009 Act provides that the Minister may issue directions to a housing authority regarding the operation of an allocation scheme and the housing authority shall comply with any such direction in operating the scheme.