Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy. As detailed in the Housing for All strategy, the Government has introduced a number of measures to support households and individuals wishing to purchase a home, as well as increasing the overall supply of new homes, with an ambitious target of 300,000 new homes up to 2030.

In relation to affordable housing, under Housing for All, the Government will 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, a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.

Data for affordable housing delivery is published on a quarterly basis, similar to social housing delivery and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery.

As of the end of Q2 2023, over 3,000 affordable homes have been delivered, including almost 2,300 households supported by the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the First Home Shared Equity Scheme.

Other measures, such as the Help to Buy Scheme, are also nationally available to eligible first-time purchasers to make home ownership more affordable.

As of the end of November 2023, over 43,500 first-time buyers have been supported by the incentive. Further details of this scheme are available here: www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/index.aspx.