Written answers

Thursday, 15 May 2025

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Housing Provision

Photo of Edward TimminsEdward Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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101. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether each county's house-building targets will be monitored monthly by the Minister; if he will meet with all county council chief executives and directors of planning on a quarterly basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24825/25]

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Under Housing for All, last year, Government approved new national housing targets up to the year 2030. 303,000 homes will aim to be delivered in the period from 2025 to 2030, equating to an annual average of 50,500 homes, building up to 60,000 in 2030. The revised targets were informed by research and modelling by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on population projections and long-run housing demand. The revised national housing targets will inform the revision to existing social and affordable housing targets at a local authority level.

The revised targets and annual profile aligns with the draft Revision of the National Planning Framework, which provides for around 50,000 homes per annum.

It is essential that county council’s targets align with their needs and ensure balanced regional development. The Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) and the Summary of Social Housing Assessment (SSHA) are the key tools in determining these targets. The HNDA provides evidence-based insights into housing needs across all tenures analysing demographic trends, affordability data and housing stock pressures. This framework allows local authorities to make informed decisions about future housing requirements.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). The delivery performance of local authorities against their targets under Housing for All is kept under continual review by my Department. Beginning this year, I have also committed to publishing the delivery achieved by all local authorities – as set against their targets – as part of the quarterly statistics published. This will allow for greater transparency and engagement with the delivery of new-build housing at a local level.

Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. The local authorities have a critical role to play in this delivery. Since taking office, I have committed to meeting with the chief executives of all 31 local authorities to discuss their targets, pipelines and delivery figures, particularly on their own land. These engagements are already under way.

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