Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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279. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will introduce a scheme of affordable housing and low-cost sites for towns and villages with a population of less than 5,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8847/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Support from the Affordable Housing Fund is available to all local authorities to deliver affordable purchase and cost rental homes where an affordable housing need is evidenced. Approvals for funding are now in place to support delivery of over 5,000 affordable homes by 21 local authorities. In addition, the First Home Scheme, launched in July 2022, supports first-time buyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. Full information on the scheme is available on the First Home Scheme dedicated website, www.firsthomescheme.ie.

The Ready to Build Scheme, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, to support addressing vacancy, was launched in September 2022. Under the Scheme, local authorities make vacant serviced sites in towns and villages available to potential individual purchasers to build a home.

Under the scheme, local authorities identify suitable vacant sites in their ownership or purchase vacant sites in towns and villages and make them available for sale for the purpose of building a principal private residence. Once serviced, the local authority will make the site available for sale at a discount on the market value of the site. The level of discount to the individual will depend on the level of servicing cost incurred by the local authority before the sale of the site, but will not exceed €30,000.

The scheme is available to individuals or couples, with the prioritisation of applications for consideration using the framework of priorities as outlined in the scheme documents, giving priority on a sliding scale to first time buyers / fresh starters, persons who have a particular need / older persons and individuals who may wish to live in a town or village setting.

To date, 24 sites have been made available for sale. A further 100 sites are at various stages of consideration by the relevant local authorities and the Department is working with those local authorities to progress such sites.

The conditions of the Ready to Build Scheme do not preclude prospective applicants from availing of other Government initiatives such as the Help to Buy Scheme or Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan.

Further information with regard to the scheme is available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/33209-ready-to-build-scheme-serviced-sites-for-new-homes/ or by contacting Vacant Homes officer in the relevant local authority.