Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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636. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department remains committed to the development of retirement villages as a viable long-term solution to housing the increasing elderly population of Ireland; if so, to provide an updated indication of the Government's financial support towards their development; if he plans to introduce legislation aimed at protecting security of tenure for people living in purpose-built retirement villages while ensuring that the status of such developments cannot be changed under planning law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47779/25]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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637. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will report on whether the Government remains committed to the identified objectives for retirement villages development as stated in 2019's 'Housing Options for our Ageing Population' report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47780/25]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 and 637 together.

The Programme for Government – Securing Ireland’s Future includes a number of commitments to deliver “Practical Housing Options for Positive Ageing”. These commitments build upon the policy objectives in Housing for All, including a policy objective to increase and improve housing options for older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence. Housing for All builds on and takes forward the ongoing actions in 'Housing Options for Our Ageing Population' policy statement from 2019, published jointly by my Department and the Department of Health.

My Department provides capital funding to local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to support the delivery of social homes in their area including specially designed housing for older people. Under the Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP), where local authorities build or acquire, houses/apartments for social housing use, my Department provides 100% of these costs to local authorities.

Under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), my Department provides up to 100% Capital funding to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide new social homes for priority categories to include homeless, disability and housing for older people. Furthermore, CALF funding is capital support provided to AHBs by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction, acquisition or refurbishment of new social housing units, which may also accommodate older people.

The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2025 (RTA) regulate tenancies in the residential rental sector covering private renters, cost renters, social renters with AHBs and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The RTA apply to every dwelling that is the subject of a tenancy, subject to a limited number of exceptions.

Work on the Programme for Government commitments is ongoing within a Policy Group recently established to explore proposals on how best to progress these commitments. Crucially, consideration of these proposals will feed into the development of the new Housing Plan that is currently being progressed in my Department. Advancement of a broader policy approach on rightsizing as committed to under Housing for All is being considered as part of this process to deliver on the commitments made in the Programme for Government.