Written answers

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Departmental Data

Photo of Conor SheehanConor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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492. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of builders that have signed up to the statutory register under the Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, broken down by year since 2014, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33711/25]

Photo of Conor SheehanConor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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493. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide a breakdown of capital investment in housing in 2024 and 2025 respectively by programme, in tabular form; to outline any additional capital investment in housing carried out by local authorities, the LDA and approved housing bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33759/25]

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides capital funding for the delivery of new social, affordable and cost rental homes, along with a broad range of other capital programmes which support people within their existing homes and address specific housing needs.

Capital Exchequer funding for Housing is supplemented by investment through the Land Development Agency (LDA) and lending by the Housing Finance Agency (HFA).

Details of Exchequer expenditure in 2024 on the delivery of social and affordable homes, along with the suite of other capital Housing programmes, are set out in the table below. The 2024 data for LDA investment and HFA loan advances will be available once finalised by the respective agencies.

- 2024 (Subject to Audit)
Social Housing Build & Acquisition* €2,662m
Affordable Delivery €761m
Other Capital Programmes €627m
*Capital expenditure on the delivery of new social homes is also supported by current funding provided through the Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP).

In respect of 2025, a record level of capital investment is being provided for the delivery of Housing, with overall capital funding available of almost €6.8 billion, inclusive of €2.9 billion LDA investment and HFA lending.

The 2025 Exchequer funding allocations for all the Housing Subheads are available in the 2025 Revised Estimates Volume (REV) which is available at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/e20037-revised-estimates/#2025

Photo of Cathal CroweCathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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494. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has any plans to reinstate the temporary development contribution waiver scheme; if there are other financial incentives coming available for those who intend to commence building within the next year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33762/25]

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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On 25 April 2023, the Government approved additional measures under the Housing for All Action Plan to incentivise the activation of increased housing supply and help reduce housing construction costs, including the introduction of temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges.

The Government recognised that measures needed to be put in place to help address cost and viability with a view to incentivising the activation of a pipeline of new housing commencements, and assisting in the delivery of supply as quickly as possible. The waiver scheme applied to all permitted residential development including multi-unit developments, self-build houses and one-off houses, student accommodation and sheltered housing.

The schemes initially applied for one year to all permitted residential development that commenced on site between 25 April 2023 (the date of the Government Decision approving the measure) and 24 April 2024, and that are completed not later than 31 December 2025. On 23 April 2024, the Government approved an extension for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions in respect of residential development commenced not later than 31 December 2024 and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges in respect of residential development commenced not later than 30 September 2024.

In April 2024, the final date for the completion of development works on qualifying houses under the schemes was extended from 31 December 2025 to 31 December 2026.

There are no plans to extend or re-introduce the waiver scheme.

Section 48(2)(b) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act), provides that a development contribution scheme, applied by a planning authority in respect of its functional area, may make provision for payment of different contributions in respect of different classes or descriptions of development. The level of contribution, and the types of development to which development contributions should apply, including any exemptions from charging in specific circumstances if that is deemed appropriate, are therefore determined at local authority level, in accordance with the powers vested in elected members in relation to the adoption of local authority development contribution schemes.

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