Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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128. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an overview of the application of Housing for All in County Clare. [11544/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland is Ireland’s housing plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year to 2030. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. The Plan is backed by investment with in excess of €20bn through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency and the Housing Finance Agency to 2026.

Housing for All provides for an optimal mix of social, affordable and private housing for sale and rent. The plan is underpinned by measures to support availability of land, workforce, funding and capacity to enable both the public and private sectors to meet the targets. Progress Reports are published on a quarterly basis, setting out performance against the targets and actions set out in the plan, and can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/9d2ee-housing-for-all-quarterly-progress-reports/

Data in relation to housing commencements, broken down by local authority area, including Clare County Council, is published by my Department on a monthly basis and can be accessed via the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts/

Data in relation to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via the following link:

www.cso.ie/en/statistics/buildingandconstruction/newdwellingcompletions/

The delivery of social and affordable housing is underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans 2022 – 2026. A copy of Clare County Council’s plan can be accessed on their website at the following link:

www.clarecoco.ie/services/housing/publications/housing-delivery-action-plan-2022-2026-48501.pdf

My Department publishes comprehensive social housing programme level statistics on a quarterly basis in all local authority areas, including Clare County Council. This data is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/

My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), which provides details of social housing developments that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent CSR (for Quarter 3 2022) is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/2b4cd-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q3-2022/

A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis at the link:

data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q3-2022

Regarding affordable housing, Clare does not have a specific target as average house price levels in the county are still well below the national median. Where there are localised challenges, funding can be made available to develop a scheme in line with Affordable Housing Fund criteria. While to date, my Department has not received any application for funding under the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) from Clare, my Department met with Clare County Council in July and then again on 17 November 2022 to discuss affordable housing need in the county and plans to provide affordable housing.

The First Home Scheme, launched in July, provides affordable housing options nationally via an equity support of up to 30% for First Time Buyers of new homes. The price ceiling for eligible properties under the scheme has recently increased from €300,000 to €325,000 in County Clare.

The Local Authority Home Loan has also been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. I recently announced changes to the house prices and income limits for the Local Authority Home Loan effective from 1 March 2023. House price limits for this scheme increased from €250,000 to €300,000 in Clare. Income limits have also increase from €50,000 in Clare to €70,000 for all single applicants and from €75,000 to €85,000 for all joint applicants nationwide.

Local authority drawdowns, approvals, average drawdowns, and average approvals to Q3 2022 are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/42d2f-local-authority-loan-activity/#local-authority-loans-approvedpaid

With regard to addressing vacancy, in July 2022, 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. A grant of up to a maximum of €30,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence, including the conversion of a property which has not previously been used as residential.

My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis. This data includes numbers of applications received by local authority, including Clare County Council, applications approved and rejected and application type. Data on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/4bbe4-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-statistics/

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an overview of the application of Housing for All in County Carlow. [11865/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland is Ireland’s housing plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year to 2030. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. The Plan is backed by investment with in excess of €20bn through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency and the Housing Finance Agency to 2026.

Housing for All provides for an optimal mix of social, affordable and private housing for sale and rent. The plan is underpinned by measures to support availability of the land, workforce, funding and capacity to enable both the public and private sectors to meet the targets. Progress Reports are published on a quarterly basis, setting out performance against the targets and actions set out in the plan, and can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/9d2ee-housing-for-all-quarterly-progress-reports/

Data in relation to housing commencements, broken down by local authority area, including Carlow County Council, is published by my Department on a monthly basis and can be accessed via the following link:www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts/

Data in relation to new dwelling completions is published by the CSO on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via the following link:www.cso.ie/en/statistics/buildingandconstruction/newdwellingcompletions/

The delivery of social and affordable housing is underpinned by local authorities' Housing Delivery Action Plans 2022 – 2026. A copy of Carlow County Council’s plan can be accessed via the following link:www.carlow.ie/housing-for-all/

My Department publishes comprehensive social housing programme level statistics on a quarterly basis in all local authority areas, including Carlow County Council. This data is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/

My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), which provides details of social housing developments that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent CSR (for Quarter 3 2022) is available at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/2b4cd-social-housing-construction-projects-status-report-q3-2022/

A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis at the link: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q3-2022

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. I also discussed affordable housing with them at the most recent Housing Summit last week. 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 the county which I expect will assist Carlow County Council to develop their affordable housing pipeline.

The First Home Scheme, launched in July 2022, now provides affordable housing options nationally via an equity support of up to 30% for First Time Buyers of new homes. The price ceiling for eligible properties under the scheme has recently increased from €250,000 to €325,000 in County Carlow.

The Local Authority Home Loan has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. I recently announced changes to the house prices and income limits for the Local Authority Home Loan effective from 1 March 2023. House price limits for this scheme increased from €250,000 to €275,000 in Carlow. Income limits have also increased from €50,000 in Carlow to €70,000 for all single applicants and from €75,000 to €85,000 for all joint applicants.

Local authority loan drawdowns, approvals, average drawdowns, and average approvals to Q3 2022 are available on my Department’s website at the following link:www.gov.ie/en/collection/42d2f-local-authority-loan-activity/#local-authority-loans-approvedpaid

With regard to addressing vacancy, in July 2022, 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. A grant of up to a maximum of €30,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence, including the conversion of a property which has not previously been used as residential. My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis. This data includes numbers of applications received by local authority, including Carlow County Council, applications approved and rejected and application type. Data on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/4bbe4-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-statistics/