Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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16. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide greater detail on how domestic violence is addressed within the Action Plan on Housing Supply and Targeting Homelessness, 2025-2030, including if refuge provision or transitional housing will be provided for domestic violence and abuse survivor-victims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65496/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Supporting individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness is a priority for my Department and Government.

Increased supply is key to addressing homelessness. Government is focused on making sure that everyone has access to good quality, affordable and secure homes that suit their needs. Over €9 billion in capital funding will be made available for housing in 2026. The 2026 capital funding will be supplemented by over €2 billion in current funding to address housing need. Our new housing plan is an integrated housing and homelessness plan based on two key pillars: activating the supply of 300,000 more homes; and supporting people to have a home of their own. The plan aims to deliver an average of 12,000 social homes every year to 2030, providing more homes to reduce long-term family homelessness, prevent people from experiencing homelessness and support people on low incomes

Under the new plan, a protocol will be agreed with local authorities to provide that victims of domestic violence can transfer previous time spent on a social housing waiting list to another local authority, subject to meeting all social housing eligibility requirements.

My Department, working with Cuan, supports the development of Domestic Violence Refuges through the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS). CAS provides up to 100% capital funding to Approved Housing Bodies to advance Refuge projects in partnership with Domestic Violence groups. My Department and the Housing Agency work closely with the relevant local authorities and Cuan to support, provide technical advice, and advance these projects from initial design through to construction and completion.

While some safe homes have been funded directly via CAS in the past, groups sourcing, providing and operating safe homes for victims of domestic violence are supported to do so by Cuan as part of the national refuge accommodation programme.

Budget 2026 provides an allocation of €513.5m to provide homeless emergency accommodation and essential related services including homelessness prevention supports. Capital funding of €50m has been allocated to support the provision and maintenance of quality emergency and transitional accommodation.