Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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498. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the report of AHB Strategic Forum has been finalised; if has considered its contents; if he will publish the report and its recommendations; if he will outline the proposed next steps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31955/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Approved Housing Body Strategic Forum process was established in late 2023 under Housing for All, with a mandate to examine the strategic challenges facing the sector, to work with key stakeholders to co-create a compelling vision for the sector's role in Ireland’s housing system in the decade(s) ahead and to identify a policy reform roadmap to underpin this vision.

Led by my Department, the AHB Strategic Forum (AHBSF) undertook a comprehensive national process of structured engagement throughout 2024, including a series of workshops involving over 150 stakeholders as well as a broad consultation (from which 32 submissions were received), so that a breadth of AHBs, Local Authorities, and other key agencies could share insights and make valuable contributions to inform the Forum's work. The AHB Strategic Forum drew on the valuable analysis and recommendations of the Housing Commission report and also commissioned international research into comparable not-for-profit housing models across four European jurisdictions.

Following an in-depth assessment of these various strands of work, my Department has now completed a detailed report setting out the future vision for the sector, underpinned by a set of guiding principles and a suite of policy development recommendations that set out a roadmap for sectoral reform.

In the coming weeks, I will consider the content of this report and the sectoral reform recommendations of the Strategic Forum, as a valuable and timely input in to the development of the forthcoming National Housing Plan (the successor plan to Housing For All). Key areas identified for AHB Sectoral reform include strengthening capacity and resilience, supporting strategic consolidation and financial sustainability, aligning delivery with emerging public housing needs, and progressing climate and energy performance goals.

The AHB sector has been a valued and essential partner throughout this process, and the sector's continued development will be central to meeting our national housing objectives.