Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

194. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether his Department has assessed the current unmet demand for purpose built and adapted housing for persons with disabilities; whether he is satisfied that the level of delivery currently being achieved by local authorities and approved housing bodies is sufficient to meet identified need; the additional measures being considered to increase delivery where demand exceeds supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48278/26]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department jointly published the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 and Implementation Plan with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality. The Strategy and Implementation Plan may be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: . The Implementation Plan sets out the actions to achieve the vision of the joint Strategy for delivering housing and related supports for disabled people to 2027 operating under the new housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Plan aims to deliver 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable housing supports by the end of 2030.

Details on the number of households qualified for social housing support in each local authority administrative area is provided in the annual Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA). Details of households qualified for social housing support with a main need for social housing support being a disability are included in the report and broken down per local authority. The SSHA 2025 is available on my Department's website, along with all summaries since 2011, at .

Social housing allocations for disabled people have increased steadily over the last three years from 2022 to 2024. The number of social housing allocations for disabled people in 2022 was 1,917 tenancies, in 2023 it was 2,297, rising to 2,924 in 2024 which represents some 19% of overall housing allocations in 2024.

Local authorities play a key role in the planning and provision of social housing in their areas, and decide on the number and types of dwellings to provide, based on identified need including disabled people. Existing social housing targets run to the end of 2026. These targets were developed based on the social housing waiting list for each local authority and data obtained from the Housing Needs Demand Assessment, which profiles future demand for social housing. My Department is currently reviewing data sources and methodology to prepare appropriate individual local authority housing targets to meet local needs and demand out to 2030.

Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, each local authority will prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan (HDAP) setting out their planned delivery of social and affordable housing to 2030 in line with their targets. In preparing their HDAP, each local authority will reflect local need to ensure the right mix of homes to respond to need and priorities, including housing for disabled people for whom targets for the period 2027-2030 will be agreed with each local authority. It is expected that new HDAPs will be in place by Q4 2026.