Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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747. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will engage with the Minister for Health, in regard to utilising HSE buildings and lands across County Kerry for housing, that are no longer being utilised and are surplus to requirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29066/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Information on the total number of publicly owned Health Service Executive (HSE) buildings and lands is not held or collated by my Department.

With regard to buildings and land held by public bodies, such as the HSE, I should point out that they are entirely independent corporate entities having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions and the discharge of their governance and other responsibilities, including the use and disposal of buildings and land.

Policies and requirements relating to the management and disposal of State Property assets have been put in place by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, who may hold or collate the information sought.

Since its establishment, the Land Development Agency (LDA) carries out certain functions with regard to State owned relevant public land. Relevant public land is land owned by a relevant public body, being a local authority, Government Minister or state body, such as the HSE, listed in Schedule 1 and 2 of the Land Development Agency Act 2021 (the Act), within a town the population of which is equal to or greater than 10,000 persons at the last census.

In accordance with the Act, the LDA maintains a https://lda.ie/public-lands/register-of-relevant-lands and furnishes to Government, at two yearly intervals, a This facilitates and supports the identification and assessment of the potential of relevant public land for the provision of affordable and social housing. The Register, which includes information regarding current use and any vacant status, can be accessed via the LDA website.

The LDA recently published its 2nd Report on Relevant Public Lands, and this edition provides an update on the 83 parcels of land identified in the 1st report, published in 2023, which focused on the ten main urban locations - (five cities and five key growth towns) and also includes consideration of additional relevant public land identified in other census towns.

The 2nd Report includes most sites identified in the 1st Report, and along with new sites in towns newly considered, identifies a total of 102 parcels of land as having potential to deliver housing-led developments. Of the 102 parcels of land, the report has identified the HSE owned building and land at St. Finan’s Hospital in Killarney as having potential to deliver housing.

My Department will hold stakeholder engagement discussions with all landholding bodies of sites identified in the report, including the HSE and Department of Health, and consider the current and future uses, and suitability of sites for potential use for affordable and social housing.

Some of the sites identified may be suitable to progress to design and planning and early transfer for housing delivery, subject to achieving statutory consents and agreement. Other sites may be more complex and/or in operational use. If suitable and prioritised, these sites may require further inputs, such as master planning, enabling works, relocation of existing operations, before applications for statutory consents or development.