Written Answers Nos. 1-16
4. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to increase the grant awards allowable for local authority housing adaptation grants to meet the increased building costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54366/23]
View answerHousing for All commits to reviewing the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme and a report on the review has been prepared by my Department. The review was informed by engagement with external stakeholders, including the Department of Health, the HSE, the Disability Federation of Ireland and the Irish Wheelchair Association. Written submissions were also invited and considered as part of this process. Among the areas which the review considered are the income thresholds that apply and the grant limits.
My main focus in respect of these grants is in seeking to increase the level of supports provided by further increasing the funding that is available at national level including wider access to funding at the local level.
On foot of my consideration of the Review report, my Department shared the report and supplementary analysis with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and is engaging with the Department on the recommendations in the report with a view to bringing forward amendments to the relevant Regulations governing the schemes.
7. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the number of housing commencements and completions in Carlow to date in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53847/23]
View answer76. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage how many new homes have been completed so far this year; how many new homes have seen construction start; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53855/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 76 together.
At its core, Housing for All is about significantly increasing the supply of housing of the right type, in the right place, and at an affordable price.
To this end, the plan comprises a suite of priority measures to transform our housing system, secure its sustainability into the future and support the delivery of more than 300,000 new homes by 2030. This will see an average of 33,000 new homes delivered for each year of the plan, rising to more than 40,000 per year by the end of the decade.
Since Housing for All was launched in 2021, there has been a substantial uplift in the amount of new homes being delivered, with some 29,750 new homes delivered in 2022. And, despite the significant economic headwinds over the past 12 to 18 months, new supply has gone from strength to strength. More than 22,400 new homes have been delivered between January and September this year, more than that delivered in the whole of 2019, 2020 or 2021.
The outlook for next year is equally promising, with the substantial increase in supply this year and last expected to be maintained into 2024. Already this year, between January and October, some 26,500 or so new homes have commenced construction nationwide, an increase of 16.5% on the same period last year.
This progress is being mirrored at local level around the country. More than 150 new homes have been completed in Carlow between January and September, on par with delivery in 2021 and 2022.
At the same time, more than 380 new homes have been commenced in Carlow this year to end-October. This is an increase of 62% on the same period last year and more than in any calendar year since the data series commenced in 2014.
With rolling 12-month commencements continuing to increase month-on-month since their dip in mid-2022, I am optimistic we will reach next year's target of 33,450 new homes. Indeed, sectoral forecasts for next year suggest new home delivery will be at its highest level for many years, with some already forecasting that that figure could be surpassed by around a thousand new homes in 2024.
Housing for All is clearly delivering and I am confident the funding and targeted schemes committed to under plan will continue to support an increasing supply of affordable housing across all tenures, whether social, private rented or private purchase.
12. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to ensure affordable housing is provided in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53596/23]
View answer23. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the delivery of housing on public owned sites in Dublin 9 and Dublin 11. [54216/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 23 together.
Under Housing for All, the Government has targeted delivery of 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing, and 28,500 new affordable homes from 2022 to 2026.
Each local authority has prepared its own 5-year Housing Delivery Action Plan setting out their planned social and affordable housing delivery . 18 local authorities, including Dublin City Council, were asked to include planned affordable housing delivery, in line with Affordable Housing delivery targets assigned in March 2022. The Plans for Cavan, Monaghan and Dublin City are available on the websites of the local authorities concerned.
Cavan and Monaghan do not have affordable housing targets as the assessed level of affordably constrained need is not high in either county as house prices are below the national median. However, support from the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) is available to both counties should localised affordability needs occur. Neither county has applied for AHF assistance to date. Assistance with developing schemes is available from my Department, the LGMA and the Housing Agency if required.
I anticipate that the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which includes funding for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Ready to Build Scheme, will prove valuable in addressing overall affordability needs in Cavan and Monaghan and both authorities have vacant homes officers in place who can assist the public with bringing vacant homes back into use, with up to €70,000 in grant support available to do so.
As regards Dublin City, it does have a number of large mixed tenure sites that it is developing and in respect of the particular areas of Dublin 9 and Dublin 11, funding is in place to support a significant mixed tenure development of 853 housing units, including 343 social, 340 cost rental and 170 affordable purchase units at Oscar Traynor Road. The site is being prepared to commence construction, with delivery expected over 2024 to 2027. Affordable Housing Fund approval is also in place to support the delivery of 12 new affordable purchase homes at Poppintree, Ballymun in 2024.
Comprehensive programme level statistics covering social and affordable housing delivery programmes are published quarterly. Data up to and including the second quarter of 2023 is available on the Department’s website.
The Affordable Delivery reports published include First Home scheme data and Cavan, Dublin City and Monaghan have seen significant early signs of take-up of this scheme which supports first time buyers to make a new home affordable for them.
Significant progress is being made to deliver the Government's ambitious social and affordable housing targets under Housing for All, and my Department is working to further accelerate delivery with local authorities, AHBs, the LDA, and via the First Home scheme.
15. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will comment on a report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54167/23]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 and as set out in the Acts, the Rent Index is published by the Board on a quarterly basis.
The Rent Index is designed to measure developments in rental prices. Following the introduction of annual registration of tenancies in April 2022, the RTB is now able to collect data on rents paid by sitting tenants and therefore provide rent price developments relating to existing tenancies as well as for new tenancies in the Rent Index. Prior to Quarter 2 this year, the RTB Rent Index was based on new tenancies only.
The Rent Index report is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private rental sector in Ireland. Compared to other market monitoring reports produced for the Irish rental sector, the Rent Index has the considerable benefit of being based on regulatory data covering all new tenancy registrations regardless of how the property was advertised for rent. The Rent Index significantly strengthens the ability to understand the Private Rental Sector overall, which has gone through considerable change in recent years.
