Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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19. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide a proportion of the Rathbourne Wharf development, where 326 social houses and 399 cost-rental homes funded through CALF and CREEL, as cost-rental homes for essential workers in line with commitments in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35776/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Cost Rental is a new form of tenure which was introduced under the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and since then we have been actively building a pipeline of cost rental homes, with nearly 4,000 homes delivered to the end of last year.

The Government has made a clear commitment in the Programme for Government to build more cost rental units through the LDA, local authorities and Cost Rental Equity Loan funding to AHBs, embedding cost rental as a category of tenure on a permanent basis.

The development at Rathbourne Wharf in Ashtown will deliver both social and Cost Rental homes with funding support from my Department. As it is still under construction, further information on types of unit, rents, and other details will be published closer to completion in the normal way.

At the moment, Cost Rental homes are not targeted at any specific occupation or class of worker. Any household which meets the eligibility criteria may apply for any available home. This includes households of those who may be categorised as essential workers. My Department continues to explore options around targeting of certain homes for key local workers.

In the meantime,amendments were made to the Affordable Housing Act 2021 last year to provide for Cost Rental landlords to propose 'Allocation Plans' to give priority to those with a link to an area through residence, place of employment, or children’s education. This will assist people to live and work in their local area. My Department is developing the required legal and policy framework, including new regulations, to implement this change to Cost Rental and I intend to make those regulations shortly.