Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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96. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government how many homes will be delivered by the LDA this year under the project tosaigh scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23647/23]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Under Housing for All, the Government aims to deliver 54,000 affordable homes between now and 2030, to be facilitated by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), the Land Development Agency (LDA) and through the First Home Scheme.

The LDA is tasked with managing the State’s own lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites. In the longer-term, it will assemble strategic land-banks from a mix of public and private lands, which is expected to bring essential more long-term stability to the Irish housing market.

It is also tasked with unlocking stalled private, planning-consented developments in the shorter-term through its market engagement initiative, Project Tosaigh, from which the LDA is targeting delivery of 5,000 affordable homes by 2026 .

Following two calls for proposals and ongoing engagement with proposers, a delivery pipeline is being advanced. The first households are in their Project Tosaigh sourced homes. 164 new homes were offered in 2022 for cost rental tenanting by eligible households in Wicklow and Dublin. 78 affordable purchase homes in Cork and Waterford were also delivered in 2022. I understand that a significant step-up in delivery is expected in 2023.

While keeping the momentum of that call for proposals engagement going, the LDA is proceeding in tandem with the more structured phase of Project Tosaigh engagement, procuring framework agreements with preferred delivery partners. I expect that a request for tenders to advance Phase 2 will issue next month.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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97. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which the provision of accommodation for persons on local authority housing lists as well as those seeking affordable housing can be accommodated in the short term alongside the competing equally valid requirements of refugees and the aforementioned numbers on the housing lists; if modular housing or wooden chalet-type housing can be urgently provided to meet the need; if manufacturers of modular or wooden housing in this country are exporting their products while this serious crisis exists; if it is possible to quantify the number of potential such units that could be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23507/23]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government how he is promoting innovation in social home delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23656/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 133 together.

Housing for All, is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes by 2030. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.

Modern methods of construction (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.All homes delivered using MMC must comply with the Building Regulations, the aim of which is to provide for the safety and welfare of people in and about buildings, and in addition achieve a 60-year durability for all key elements. For new innovative products or systems, not covered by existing standards, compliance with the Building Regulations can be demonstrated by 3rd party certification by an independent approval body, such as National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

The development of MMC will improve productivity in construction and increase efficiency in residential construction. The development of MMC is being led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment which has established a MMC Leadership and Integration Group and my Department is represented on this Group.This Group is ensuring the cohesive integration and coordination of the various Government supported MMC initiatives. These initiatives include:

• The establishment of a multi-location Construction Technology Centre, consortium led by the University of Galway;
• A new Demonstration Park for MMC at Mount Lucas, operated by Laois Offaly Enterprise and Training Board; and
• The National Construction Training Centre at Mount Lucas.