Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware that there are only 27 cost-rental homes in the pipeline for Cork city in 2024. [24431/24]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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83. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of affordable housing commencements in Cork city and Cork county for 2023 and 2024 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24368/24]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 83 together.

Housing for All sets out a range of actions to increase the supply of housing out to 2030, including providing 54,000 affordable homes for purchase and rent. These homes will be delivered by Local Authorities, AHBs, the LDA, through the First Home Scheme, and by bringing vacant homes back into use. Significant public funding is being made available to support all of these delivery streams.

Data for affordable housing delivery is published on a quarterly basis, similar to social housing. The data up to end 2023 is available on my Department's website. Local Authorities are collating information on affordable purchase and Cost Rental delivery, including through AHBs and the LDA, for Quarter 1 2024, and I expect that we will be in a position to report confirmed social and affordable delivery shortly.

Cork City and Cork County Councils have set out in their Housing Delivery Action Plans their intention to deliver 378 and 189 affordable homes respectively out to 2026. This delivery does not include additional affordable homes through the LDA, AHBs, and the First Home Scheme, and via the higher Part V requirements for new private developments. The Housing Delivery Action Plans for Cork City and County can be found on the respective Council websites.

Delivery of affordable housing in Cork City and County has been notably strong even at the start of the programme of delivery and there is a very strong pipeline being built up across all of the delivery streams. Up to the end of 2023, there have been nearly 300 Local Authority Affordable Purchase homes and 105 Cost Rental homes delivered in Cork City and County. In terms of pipeline in the coming years, I have approved funding for more than 50 AHB Cost Rental homes for Cork City, and more than 130 Local Authority Cost Rental homes in Cork County. The Land Development Agency is also now advancing the delivery of over 300 homes in Cork City that are scheduled for completion next year, and consideration is being given to the appropriate mix of cost rental and affordable purchase homes.

In addition, the First Home Scheme has seen over 500 approvals issue to applicants looking to buy a home in Cork with equity support.

The momentum created by this initial delivery will continue this year and into 2025. The Housing For All strategy and the unprecedented investment of public funds are already delivering affordable homes for purchasers and renters, in Cork City and County and elsewhere. My Department continues to work closely with Local Authorities, AHBs, and the LDA to build on this and deliver increasing numbers of affordable homes across the country.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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77. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will consider introducing statutory timeframes for the implementation of housing schemes under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24309/24]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will convene a forum between senior officials in his Department and senior officials from across the local authorities to examine where housing schemes are not working or need to be amended to ensure Government policy is being implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24308/24]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 124 together.

In 2023, nearly 12,000 new social homes were delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, including 8,110 new-build homes. This represents the highest level of delivery of new-build social housing in half a century. Over 4,000 affordable housing supports were also delivered. This is an increase of 128% on 2022 activity, which highlights the significant progress achieved to date in relation to affordable housing from a standing start.

Timeframes can be impacted by a number of factors including construction material costs, supply chain issues and the impacts of interest rate movements. At a local level, complexities such as legal issues, retendering projects, reviewing the viability of projects, infrastructure challenges and judicial review of planning permissions can also have an impact.

My Department engages continually with local authorities individually and collectively via the Housing Delivery Co-ordination office (HDCO) to drive delivery of social and affordable housing and ensure ongoing oversight of delivery versus targets. The social housing pipeline is constantly updated and monitored as projects go through the various design, procurement, approvals and construction processes so that blockages can be identified and appropriate action taken as needed.

My Department organises the Housing Summit twice yearly. These day-long summits are attended by myself, the Secretary General, Assistant Secretaries and other senior officials from my Department and by the Chief Executives and relevant Directors of Services from all the local authorities. The Housing Summit provides a forum for collaborative engagement between my Department and the local authorities with a focus on discussions around accelerating the delivery of social and affordable housing.

Oversight of Housing for All involves concerted whole-of-government policy implementation with political buy-in, oversight and direction at the highest level accompanied by a rigorous monitoring system to enable delivery. The implementation process for the Housing for All Plan includes political oversight provided by the Cabinet Committee on Housing, chaired by the Taoiseach and a Delivery Group of Secretaries General, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, which is responsible for delivery of all aspects of the Plan and ensuring genuine whole-of-government engagement.

Quarterly Progress Reports are submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Housing and to Government, and are published, setting out performance against the targets and actions set out in the Plan in a clear and comprehensible way. These progress updates provide a transparent overview of performance metrics, covering all major aspects of the Plan. The reports are published on my Department's website.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if local authorities will be provided with additional funding this year for housing adaptation grants; when the review into the report on the grants will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24304/24]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities to support the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability, which support older and disabled people living in private houses to adapt their home to meet their needs.

These important grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People. The grants are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.

The Exchequer funding provision of €74.5 million for the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme has been increased by €8 million for 2024, continuing the year on year increases since 2014.

Housing for All commits to reviewing the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme and a report on the review has been prepared by my Department. Among the areas which the review has considered are the current income thresholds and grant limits.

My Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on the recommendations in the report with the aim of bringing forward amendments to the relevant Regulations governing the schemes as soon as possible. I also intend to publish the final report at that time.