Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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229. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of affordable homes delivered in Cork city; the average price of these homes; and the number for which contracts have been signed. [45735/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total number of affordable homes that have been built in Longford and Westmeath in each of the past five years; the total amount planned for 2024; the total funding allocated each year to the local authority to supply affordable housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45777/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All sets out the range of actions necessary to increase the supply of housing out to 2030 including 54,000 affordable homes to be delivered by local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and through the First Home Scheme, which is a strategic partnership between the State and retail banks.

Funding under the various affordable housing streams is made available on a programme basis in support of approved affordable homes delivery, rather than by allocations to counties.

Local authorities have published 5 year Housing Delivery Action Plans setting out affordable housing delivery targets up to 2026. These plans mainly relate to planned delivery for which the local authority is directly responsible and do not always include additional affordable homes that will be delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA), Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and via the higher Part V requirements introduced in the Affordable Housing Act 2021. Each local authority’s plan can be accessed on the local authority’s official website.

The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) is open and available to support all local authorities to address identified affordable housing needs in their key urban areas. Such needs are taken to exist where it can be demonstrated that some new households being formed would not be able to access housing for purchase or rent in their local authority area at prices/rents affordable to them.

Funding approvals are now in place to support the delivery of over 4,300 affordable homes by 21 local authorities with subsidy from the AHF.

Based on the returns received from local authorities for transactions completed in 2023, the average upfront affordable purchase price paid by buyers was €267,000 across the range of 2, 3 and 4-bed homes available in a range of locations.

Cork City has a programme in place to deliver 379 affordable purchase homes with AHF support by 2026, of which 206 homes have been delivered up to and including Q2 2024. The programme will continue to expand and develop as further potential schemes are identified, developed and approved.

Similarly Westmeath has delivered 69 homes with AHF support to date.

Department officials have met with the Longford County Council housing delivery team to outline how the AHF may be availed of to address localised affordability needs in appropriate circumstances.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and delivery partners in each local authority area. Data for the years 2022 and 2023 and quarters 1 and 2 of 2024 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link:

The Housing Delivery Coordination Office of the Local Government Management Agency and the resources of the Housing Agency are available to advise and support local authorities in the development of their social and affordable housing delivery programmes.