Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1287. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide a full breakdown of what the development contribution fee is intended to fund, and for details of how these services are delivered to applicants in rural areas where public infrastructure is not provided. [47059/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1288. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for clarification on who directly benefits from the development contribution fee, and for an explanation of why individuals building in areas without access to roads, lighting, water or sewage infrastructure are required to pay the same rate as those in serviced urban zones. [47060/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1289. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for details of any mechanisms or discretionary powers available to local authorities to waive or reduce development contribution fees in cases where the applicant receives little or no benefit from the services the fee is intended to support. [47061/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for details of any plans of his Department to introduce a rural exemption or tiered contribution model for development fees, in recognition of the disparity in service provision between urban and rural applicants. [47064/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1293. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether his Department monitors the consistency of development contribution fee application across local authorities, and for details of any guidance issued to ensure fairness and transparency in how these fees are calculated and enforced. [47065/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1294. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for details of any review undertaken by his Department into the impact of development contribution fees on rural housing viability, and whether such fees have contributed to delays or cancellations of rural builds. [47066/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1287, 1288, 1289, 1292, 1293 and 1294 together.

Development contributions allow local authorities to recoup some of the public costs of servicing land for private development. They provide a mechanism by which developers can contribute to the cost of providing public infrastructure and facilities that benefit development in the area and are expended on public infrastructure defined under the Planning Acts. These include the provision of open spaces, recreational and community facilities, roads, sewers, waste-water and water treatment facilities, drains and water mains, public transport, schools, school sites, broadband and flood relief works.

The adoption of the development contribution schemes is a reserved function of the locally elected members of each planning authority. It is a matter for the members to determine (i) the level of contribution and the types of development to which they will apply and (ii) the expenditure of contributions within the confines of their scheme-conditions.  A breakdown of what the development contribution fee is intended to fund is set out in each individual local authority’s development contribution scheme.

The legal basis for development contributions are Section 48 and 49 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.  Under section 48, planning authorities must draw up a development contribution scheme in respect of certain public infrastructure and facilities provided by, or on behalf of, the local authority that generally benefit development in the area. All planning permissions granted are subject to the conditions of the development contribution scheme in operation in the area of their planning authority.

In addition to general levies, under section 49, planning authorities can create a specific and separate Supplementary Contribution Scheme to part-fund specific infrastructure projects (e.g., rail, roads, LUAS) that directly serve the new development.  Guidelines for Planning Authorities on development contributions issued in January 2013.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1290. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the rationale behind the national waiver introduced in 2023 for development contributions and water connection charges, and for details of what specific challenges that waiver was intended to address. [47062/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1291. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government what policy or infrastructural improvements have occurred since the introduction of the 2023 waiver that justify its expiration, and for details of any review undertaken to assess its impact on rural housing development. [47063/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1290 and 1291 together.

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.