Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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1114. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the average cost of a social housing unit delivered in 2024 by local authorities broken down by the cost per unit size, such as 1 bed, 2 bed, 3 bed and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44517/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department assesses, approves and records local authority social housing delivery on a project basis, rather than on the basis of individual unit types.

However, as Social Housing Investment Programme funded construction projects by local authorities must, like all publicly-funded construction programmes, comply with the Infrastructure Guidelines (Public Spending Code) and Capital Works Management Framework, my Department periodically issues Basic Unit Costs (BUCs) for each local authority area, for use as a key benchmark for the development and costing of scheme designs at capital appraisal stage. While not a record of actual delivery costs, BUCs are based on an analysis of returned data from tendered social housing schemes over an extended period and updated based on published tender index information as required.

To monitor tender cost trends and to inform BUC levels, my Department analyses the tender data for the construction cost element of new build schemes approved under the SHIP & CAS programmes for each unit type, where sufficient information is available to allow such costs to be extrapolated and where the information available is appropriate for comparison purposes.

Outlined in the table below are average construction costs (incl. VAT), per unit type, recorded as part of the aforementioned analysis for projects tendered in the year 2024.

The table also sets out the range of average unit costs (across different projects) for each unit type. The range of costs recorded vary, depending on design, mix of unit types (e.g. bedroom numbers, apartment/house); and on the level of abnormal requirements for each scheme, for instance existing site conditions, demolitions, service diversions, site access requirements. Average abnormal costs are also separately identified in the below tables:

• Design/technical fees: Design fees vary from project to project, depending on the location, size and complexity of a scheme (and depending on whether design services are provided by a local authority in-house or via external appointment). As a guideline/indicator, design fees are generally expected to range between 7.5% to 12.5% of construction costs.
• Land cost: Land costs will vary significantly from project to project, depending on location and ownership status (i.e. land costs could vary from existing local authority land at no cost to land purchased at market value).
• Utilities: Connection fees for Irish Water, ESB, gas, etc. As a guideline/indicator, utility connection costs are generally in the order of €7k per unit.
• Other Costs: Other items that make up the all-in delivery cost can include site investigations/surveys, archaeological requirements, Percent for Art contributions - and will vary from scheme to scheme

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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1115. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total quantum of land held by local authorities, by each local authority, earmarked for social, affordable and cost rental housing; to outline the total number of units which could potentially be delivered on the landbank in each local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44520/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All includes measures to support local authorities to acquire the necessary land required in order to meet social and affordable targets. As part of the measures Local Authorities began updating and providing details of their respective landbanks. The National Social Housing Data Map was established by the Department in conjunction with the Local Authorities to capture this data. Details provided include land available for both social and affordable housing.

Each local authority was required to prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan. This Plan sets out details of both social and affordable housing delivery as appropriate over the period 2022-2026, in line with targets set under Housing for All. The plans have been published on local authorities’ own websites.

The Land Development Agency (LDA) has developed the State Lands Database which provides a detailed and mapped representation of the extent and location of lands owned by public bodies, including local authorities in Ireland.

The LDA will continue to update the State Lands Database to take account of new information from local authorities and other public bodies on entries/records provided, and as new publicly owned sites are added to the web map.

The LDA has also completed the Register of Relevant Lands, being lands owned by local authorities and bodies listed under Schedule 1 and 2 of the Land Development Agency Act 2021, in urban population areas greater than 10,000. Both the State Lands Database and the Register of Relevant Lands are also available in an online map format on the LDA website at the following link:

Where a local authority is seeking to deliver social housing, Exchequer funding is made available under the Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP), my Department provides 100% of these costs to local authorities including the site costs.

Support from the Affordable Housing Fund is available to all local authorities to deliver affordable purchase and cost rental homes where an affordable housing need is evidenced.

In addition, the Housing for All Land Acquisition Fund was established in 2022 to support local authorities to acquire land to deliver new build social housing schemes and this was extended in 2024 to include land for affordable housing. The fund has an overall allocation of €239m and is managed by the Housing Agency.

The table below indicates the number of potential units in each local authority according to The National Social Housing Data Map. This includes lands that are zoned residential or mixed use and are either fully serviced or partially serviced. It would be a matter for the individual local authority to confirm when these sites are likely to be brought forward for development as this level of detail would not be held by my Department.