Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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21. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to ensure that older working people who do not own their own home and are currently above social housing limits will be protected on retirement or able to seamlessly transition to social housing on retirement. [33034/23]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Government policy in relation to housing for older people, as set out in Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland, is to support people to live with dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, to allow them to ‘age in place’ close to their families, friends and in their community.

Pathway 2 of Housing for All commits to expanding the housing options available for Older Persons, building on the work done under the 2019 Joint Policy Statement, Housing Options for our Ageing Population, which has the objective of providing housing options for older people to facilitate ageing in place, in their own homes and communities, with dignity and independence, and deliver an appropriate range of housing and related support services, in an integrated and sustainable manner.

Where an older person is renting in the private sector, they may qualify for social housing supports or rent supplement when they reach retirement. In addition, local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies are encouraged to bring forward social homes specifically designed for older people in their area and my Department funds this principally through the Capital Assistance Scheme.

Where older persons are above the income thresholds for social housing, they are protected, as are all private renters, by RPZ's which limit rent increases and the improvements this government has already made regarding security of tenure. They may also qualify for cost rental housing and this government is working on scaling up the supply of cost rental homes to meet the needs of those who are experiencing affordability challenges in the private rental sector.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he intends taking to encourage more house building, particularly by reviewing the NDP and streamlining the planning process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32075/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The National Development Plan (NDP) is the rolling capital programme linked to the National Planning Framework (NPF), the overarching spatial strategy for the development of Ireland to 2040.

The NPF includes a range of objectives to support the delivery of housing to meet population targets, as informed by independent modelling undertaken by the ESRI. Government commenced the process to revise the NPF on 20 June 2023. Results from Census 2022 will be taken into account in the updating of the ESRI Structural Housing Demand methodology.

Through Housing for All, Government has introduced a number of measures to support those wishing to purchase or securely rent a home, as well as increasing the overall supply of new homes, with a target of 300,000 new homes up to 2030.

Measures introduced include the RZLT to activate land for housing, proposals to prioritise infrastructure provision and active land management through LVS/UDZ, in addition to funding schemes to encourage the increased supply of housing. We are also working with the LDA, AHBs and local authorities to deliver affordable housing for sale and for rent.

The Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022 will increase clarity and certainty in the planning system by bolstering the ‘plan-led’ approach, with statutory timelines for consenting processes. This streamlining of legislation will aid the timely delivery of housing, building on the introduction of LRD legislation and exempted development provisions for the conversion of vacant commercial premises to housing.