Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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540. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to clarify the role State savings play in housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65919/25]

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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541. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to detail plans to utilise State savings products to support housing delivery; the expected level of funding to come through the ISS for housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65920/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 540 and 541 together.

Matters relating to Ireland State Savings (ISS) are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.

The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) is a State body which operates with a commercial remit to provide asset and liability management services to Government. It has evolved from a single function agency managing the National Debt to a manager of a complex portfolio of public assets and liabilities.

NTMA operates Ireland State Savings. They provide a range of products such as Bonds and Saving Certificates as well as regular deposit accounts operated through Post Offices. These products provide a safe way to save directly with the Irish Government and are 100% protected by the State.

The NTMA Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 noted that at the end of December 2024, the total value held in State Savings schemes stood at c.€24.3bn. Of that 19% or c.€4.7bn was held in Post Office Deposit accounts.

The NTMA provides a source of funds to the Housing Finance Agency (HFA), Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) (NTMA through the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF)) and the Land Development Agency (LDA) (NTMA through the ISIF).

ISIF, managed and controlled by the NTMA, is a sovereign development fund with a mandate to invest on a commercial basis to support economic activity in Ireland. ISIF makes significant investments available to support high impact residential development, including for Small and Medium Enterprise home builders, urban regeneration, real estate and infrastructure projects.

The HFA approved €2.1bn in 2024 in new finance for Approved Housing bodies and HBFI has approved over €3bn since its inception in 2019 of which c.40% is for social housing.

Under the Government’s new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 – 2030, ISS will prepare publications to explain the role State savings play in housing delivery.