Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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505. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of applications, and the number of approvals, for the local authority purchase and renovate loan applications, by county, by year to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65135/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for a Local Authority Purchase and Renovation (LAPR) Loan are made through individual local authorities and the final decision on loan approval is a matter for the relevant local authority and its Credit Committee on a case-by-case basis.

Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with Regulations establishing the scheme and the Credit Policy that underpins the scheme, in order to ensure a prudent and consistent approach in the best interests of both borrowers and the lenders, the local authorities.

Information on the number of persons making applications for a LAPR loan to local authorities is not held by my Department. My Department publishes information on the number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan drawdowns for both the Local Authority Home Loan and the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan. Local authority approval means that an official letter of offer has been sent to a borrower (and therefore relates to a specific property and loan amount). Information on the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan is published at national level only. This is done to ensure that no individual is identifiable from the data provided, following principles laid out in both the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act of 2018

Information on drawdowns, approvals, average drawdowns, and average approvals for Local Authority Home Loans and Local Authority Purchase and Renovation loans are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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506. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of new cost rental and affordable housing units currently planned, funded and expected to commence construction before the end of 2025 in Longford and Westmeath. [65192/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Government is fully committed to delivering housing at scale, and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures. Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of Government’s housing policy, as embodied within the new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 – 2030.

In recent years, Government has introduced several schemes to help people to buy or rent homes, under Housing for All. Since 2021, close to 16,900 supports nationwide have been provided via these measures. Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 – 2030, these supports will be retained, streamlined and expanded to form a Starter Homes Programme to ensure that first time buyers and renters in need of support, are supported by Government.

Westmeath County Council has funding approval in place for four schemes to deliver over 70 affordable purchase homes, with the support of the Affordable Housing Fund, with 53 already delivered to end Q2 2025.

In addition, 112 Approved Housing Body Cost Rental homes have been approved for delivery under the Cost Rental Equity Loan scheme in Westmeath. 67 cost rental homes have been delivered to date and another 45 cost rental homes are due to be delivered by year end.

Longford has seen some welcome delivery of affordable housing with 35 households availing of affordable supports since 2023, through a mix of the First Home Scheme, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ scheme.

I understand that Longford County Council is currently developing a proposal relating to the delivery of affordable purchase homes. The Affordable Housing Fund is available to all local authorities to assist towards the cost of developing affordable housing, at locations where significant affordability needs have been identified.

Building on this progress, and utilising the measures outlined in Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 – 2030, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2025 and beyond in the counties of Longford and Westmeath.