Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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116. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to ensure an adequate supply of family homes for young people, while acknowledging that this is not specifically about removing families from homelessness, in the context of the fact that half of households in Ireland have children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65843/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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While more than 137,000 new homes have been delivered since the beginning of 2021, the pace of housing delivery must accelerate even further in the coming years. To help drive this supply, record levels of investment are being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2026, with overall capital funding of over €9 billion announced in Budget 2026.

Our new national housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, is a wide-ranging action plan focused on housing supply and targeting homelessness.

The Plan sets out a series of key actions that work towards ending homelessness, supporting affordability and addressing the housing needs of people as they progress through life including young families.

By delivering on these actions, we will make buying and renting homes more affordable for young families and support the development of villages, towns and cities across the country.

In partnership with local authorities, the Land Development Agency, Approved Housing Bodies and the development sector, we will ensure the sustained increase in the supply of social, affordable and private homes that we need for all, including young people.

A major goal of this plan is to reduce long-term family homelessness and shorten the time children spend in emergency accommodation. €100 million will be provided in 2026 to buy second-hand homes for families who have been in emergency accommodation the longest.

This plan will also increase the supply of homes for families through continued investment in social housing. We plan to significantly increase the number of new social homes built each year from around 8,000 homes per year now to 12,000 homes per year in the coming years.

We are also investing in the ambitious nationwide Starter Homes Programme. The Starter Homes Programme gives people the chance to buy or rent their first home. These homes include new-build, high-quality homes designed for first-time buyers and affordable vacant properties with support for renovation.

The goal is to provide 15,000 Starter Home supports every year until 2030, while working on long-term solutions to make starter homes more affordable and sustainable.