Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he is taking to ensure affordable housing is delivered in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35256/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale, and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures. A comprehensive implementation strategy is in place to support the various affordable housing schemes now being delivered by a range of delivery partners. Overall, nearly 13,000 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All, including over 780 in Meath.

Meath County Council already has funding approval in place for eight schemes to deliver 101 affordable purchase homes, with 71 already delivered by end 2024. In addition, three Approved Housing Bodies projects have been approved to date under the Cost Rental Equity Loan scheme.

Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2025 and beyond, and to ensure that the affordable housing programme responds effectively to the affordable housing needs identified at a local level.

Under the Programme for Government, the Government committed to introduce a new Starter Home programme across the public, private and AHB sector which promotes home ownership and secures long-term rental tenures for young people and fresh start applicants. My Department is currently progressing that commitment and it will form part of the next housing plan.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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27. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government how he intends that the Land Development Agency will support local authorities, the Housing Activation Office and his Department in master planning and infrastructure provision in new towns and districts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35637/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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This Government is committed to delivering more homes and has clearly recognised that a step-up in terms of scale and pace of delivery of all housing, including affordable and social housing, is required.

This ambition to do scale up delivery is evident in the recently approved Revised National Planning Framework, but it will be important that as we zone more land, that the servicing of land for housing is also prioritised.

In order to achieve this, master planning and phasing of infrastructure must commence as early as possible, ensuring that zoned land can be activated for development at an appropriate scale and density in a timely manner.

The Land Development Agency, as a key partner in the Government’s delivery of affordable and social homes, will be involved in this process. As part of their remit, they support local authorities, through partnerships, in master planning and delivering homes on local authority lands. They also have a remit to masterplan, activate and deliver housing on other state lands transferred to the Agency.

The Land Development Agency, along with other key stakeholders will also work closely with the Housing Activation Office to identify infrastructure constraints and unlock housing potential on strategically located sites within our towns and cities.

It is intended that the Land Development Agency will be represented on the Housing Activation Delivery Group, which I will chair. The final scope, membership and work plan of this Group are currently being finalised to ensure all key actors are appropriately engaged.