Vol. 1070 No. 2
8. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to deliver the extra funding identified by local authorities, his Department and Uisce Éireann, as being necessary to deliver the measure 8 rural water programme; when that funding might be forthcoming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35594/25]
30. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the pilot scheme announced by his Department to provide for sewage in unsewered villages in 2024 requires additional funding; if he has made this funding available; if he will provide an update on all schemes that have received initial approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35545/25]
The lack of wastewater treatment is highlighted as one of the biggest blockages in the delivery of Government housing targets. In 2022, the Minister announced €50 million under the rural water programme to deliver treatment systems in towns and villages that are not serviced. Three years on, none of these projects have begun. Will the Minister distribute these funds to any local authority that has sites ready to move to design and delivery and which has committed in writing to match funding for the projects? Will he ensure that any shortfall in the overall funding from the scheme will be forthcoming from the Department in future?
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 30 together.
I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this issue. Clearly the need for investment in infrastructure, particularly wastewater services in our towns and villages, is a priority and a recurring theme that we hear. It is a priority of the Minister, Deputy Browne, of the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and of mine, in terms of delivering housing in this regard.
The Government is committed to continued and ongoing sustained and strategic investment in rural water services across Ireland. As part of this commitment, the Department is investing in rural water infrastructure to deliver improvements to water services in areas of rural Ireland where Uisce Éireann services are not available. More than €243 million is provided under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, covering the period 2021 to 2025, for investment in non-Uisce Éireann water infrastructure. Included in this is €50 million specifically for demonstration projects to address the requirements of villages without public wastewater infrastructure.
In April 2022, under the Department's multi-annual rural water programme, a dedicated funding programme, measure A8, was announced for the wastewater collection and treatment needs of villages without access to public wastewater services. The strategic objectives of the measure are providing opportunities for rural housing development, addressing risk to public health, and preventing water pollution. The measure was designed to support an initial portfolio of demonstration projects that could inform a longer term strategic approach to the issue of wastewater infrastructure in small villages not served by Uisce Éireann.
In December 2023, approval in principle of €45 million of funding was given to a number of projects under the programme. I believe this is the programme to which Deputy Cooney is referring. The local authorities are responsible for the delivery of the projects. However, they are required to work in consultation with Uisce Éireann, reflecting the fact that the infrastructure being built will ultimately be owned and operated by Uisce Éireann.
Since the funding announcement, the local authorities and Uisce Éireann have jointly undertaken and completed a reassessment of the projects to confirm the most efficient construction options and to provide certainty to the local authorities on the funding contribution required from them for each project. The local authorities concerned have been asked to ensure that all necessary arrangements are in place, and responses in this regard have been recently received by the Department. These responses will be considered over the coming weeks and decisions will be made in due course.
As I have said, responses have been received from each local authority and there are seven projects under consideration. They have been reassessed in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The responses have all been received and, as I have said, the Department will be assessing them and a response will be issued in due course. I hope we can get movement on these very important infrastructural projects as soon as possible.
I understand from speaking to colleagues from other counties involved in this scheme that some are much further along in the process than others. I know that Clare County Council can progress if the Department confirms funding for the two projects in Broadford and Cooraclare. These two settlements have demonstrated significant commitment to the proposal of public treatment systems. I asked Clare County Council whether it had confirmed in writing to the Department that the matched funding requirement is available and it has done so. It would appear that some local authorities, and the towns and villages they propose, are being held up because other counties may not have been able to proceed for whatever reason. It is not acceptable in the middle of a housing crisis that a scheme with public moneys allocated for more than three years for vital public infrastructure is being managed in this way.
The Deputy is absolutely right that there are two projects in Clare and it is very important that these projects in Broadford and Cooraclare are being considered. I was in Clare the other day and I have to commend the proactive nature of the local authority. It is important that it got these two schemes in for consideration for the €45 million funding. As I have said, there has been back and forth communication between the Department and local authorities, for example, Clare County Council, and responses have been received. They will be assessed. I will certainly be making it a priority that we get an answer on how we proceed and fund these, and how quickly we can get the solutions built in these very important villages and towns.
In the Minister of State's own words, the housing crisis is an emergency. The lack of a treatment system in towns and villages is one of the causes of this emergency, yet the money to develop such systems in towns and villages that are not serviced has been sitting in the Department's bank account for the past three years. The county council is clearly committed to delivering this scheme in two towns in Clare. They could be a demonstration for others, as once one county gets under way, others will follow. This is my belief. The alternative is to backtrack on the commitment given by the Minister of State's predecessor, destroy any hope the communities in Broadford and Cooraclare have of a treatment system, and accept that rural towns and villages do not matter and cannot contribute to a solution to the housing crisis. This would be outrageous. Will the Minister of State begin the distribution of the funds from this scheme to local authorities such as Clare County Council, which are committed to delivering this scheme? It is vital infrastructure for those villages that do not have it.
I reassure the Deputy that there is absolutely no backtracking on the commitment to provide solutions for these rural villages. As I have said, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, recently brought forward the national planning framework, which gives a clear commitment on regional growth and regional development and allowing people to live in rural parts of Ireland. As I have said, the national development plan will inform funding for Uisce Éireann going forward. There has been a significant increase in funding for Uisce Éireann in recent years and, as I have also said, we have to start seeing results from this.
In recent months the Minister, Deputy Browne, announced the establishment of the housing activation office. A key goal of the housing activation office is to unlock as much land for development as possible. This includes some of the urban areas in more regional parts of Ireland. This will remove impediments, whatever they may be, such as infrastructure or wastewater infrastructure. This move will accelerate development for many of our rural towns and villages.
10. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the progress of the legislation to underpin the apartment defects remediation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35771/25]
36. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the defects remediation scheme for apartment owners. [35765/25]
The Minister will be well aware of the anguish, worry and stalled lives of families living in apartments with structural defects, be they fire safety issues or water leakages, which they experience through no fault of their own. The defective apartment remediation scheme is a lifeline that will finally allow these families to move on.
The Minister will appreciate how important that particular scheme is. We need a clear timeline for the legislation and a drawdown date for the money for both the statutory and the interim remediation schemes.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 36 together.
The drafting of the apartment and duplex defects remediation Bill is progressing. Various issues requiring legal advice are under consideration. The Bill is included in the Government legislation summer programme and I intend to seek Government approval to publish it shortly. The general scheme will be made available to undergo pre-legislative scrutiny as soon as is practicable and I anticipate this happening in autumn 2025. When established, the statutory scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded under the scheme.
The interim remediation scheme for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works in apartments and duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013, opened to applications from owners' management companies on 11 December 2023. The interim remediation scheme is being administered by the Housing Agency on a nationwide basis and provides for the full funding of interim measures to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings, pending completion of the full remedial works under the statutory scheme. As of 31 May 2025, a total of 207 applications to the interim remediation scheme are being progressed across 29 local authorities, representing a total of 19,574 residential units.
I thank the Minister. There are three real elements here. There is the statutory scheme, which will look after fire safety, structural issues and water ingress. The interim remediation scheme is solely for fire safety works. We then have the pathfinder projects, which are under way and are probably a subcategory of the interim remediation scheme. Has any money been paid out under the four pathfinder projects or under the interim remediation scheme? If not, when does the Minister expect money to be paid out under those schemes?
There is an issue to do with EU public procurement on the interim remediation scheme. I was talking to someone who was at an AGM of their management company recently who was told no money is being paid out because it is caught up in EU issues. Will the Minister explain clearly what the procurement issue is, when it will be addressed and when money will be drawn down under the interim scheme?
We know this is a crucially important matter, given that defects were first detected in 2011. The scheme is intended to cover apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013. I accept that an interim remediation scheme was introduced, but this was for the first of the fire safety defects, which still leaves thousands of apartments in need of remedial works. Families are being raised in some of these apartments.
Many of these homeowners are in my constituency and have been in touch to express their concern. I am sure the Minister has heard from a lot of the homeowners himself. Children are being raised in substandard conditions with problems such as water ingress, less serious fire hazards and structural defects. Will he confirm how many apartments have had remediation work carried out under the interim scheme? What is the latest estimate for the number of apartments and duplexes that will require remediation in total? Will he provide an estimation of when all of the work on all affected apartments and duplexes will be completed?
The aim is to get the work done as quickly as possible. Regarding the interim scheme, four pathfinder projects covering almost 600 residential units have been identified. These projects are progressing and will allow the mapping of the application of the remediation process into simple steps to identify the pinch points and their solutions and to provide consistency across the submissions by competent professions and related local authority fire services. The pathfinder projects identified some issues in terms of it. That was the whole idea of the pathfinder projects, as they progressed, to see where there was going to be pinch points where there may be issues with the remediation scheme.
The Department is working with the Housing Agency to co-ordinate and oversee the administration of this scheme. There have been some issues, including with tendering. We got some clarification on that today, but I am happy to brief both Deputies on any further clarification and on progress. It is being updated on a daily basis at this point. We can try to resolve the tender issue without it leading to further delay. The indication last week was that it might lead to some significant delay. The sense is that this has been rectified but I will have further clarity in the coming days. It is a live issue at the moment. I am happy to keep both Deputies updated as we move along on it.
I appreciate the Minister's offer of a briefing. I will certainly take him up on that because residents are really worried. They are getting this information from their management company, which says there is a blockage. The Minister made a number of comments that if any of them are listening will probably make them even more nervous in terms of delay. There needs to be clarity. I accept his point that it is a live situation, but it is really important to understand. My understanding is that no money has been drawn down under the interim scheme as yet. The Minister might clarify that in his concluding reply. I will definitely take a briefing on the interim scheme.
There was some newspaper coverage over the weekend, based on documents prepared by the Minister's officials, that stated there was a belief that the scheme would open to applications before the end of the year. If the Minister is saying he wants to bring it to pre-legislative scrutiny in the autumn, I presume that was a massively optimistic read of the situation. Are we looking at a drawdown date in 2026 for the statutory scheme? Will he confirm whether he expects the statutory scheme to be up and running in 2025 or 2026?
It was recently reported in the media that the remediation scheme will not come into effect until 2027. Will he give an assurance that this is not the case and that the scheme will actually commence in 2026? We cannot have a repeat of the defective blocks scheme fiasco, the details of which we do not need to go into. Will he guarantee there will be 100% redress for all apartment and duplex owners? Will he guarantee there will be a full refund scheme for anyone who has had to undertake remediation works at his or her own expense while waiting for the scheme to commence? The latest update we received on this was that the Government had agreed in principle to give 100% refunds. Will he confirm that this will definitely be the case? I will also take the Minister up on his offer of giving me an update along with Deputy O'Gorman.
I acknowledge that there has been some delay with the drafting. Some of that has arisen as a result of the Housing Agency receiving legal advice outlining the provision of the funding by the agency to oversee it is likely to trigger a requirement to comply with public procurement law. The Attorney General subsequently confirmed the need to align the application process in compliance with EU procurement rules. The application process has subsequently been amended and the dynamic purchasing system for appointment of competent professionals has been developed for launch within the next few years. Contract builders will now be procured via the e-tender system using a public works contract. This change and other clarifications have led to the delayed drafting of the Bill.
I understand these people are living in a sense of fear. I have engaged with several of these families and the representative body. I am determined to get this resolved. I do not want this delayed any further. I am personally dealing with this situation because I understand the stress and the worry that people are going through. We will get this resolved as quickly as possible. No funding has been drawn down yet.
11. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a date for when his revised housing plan will be completed and published. [35826/25]
The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new, all-of-government national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by multi-annual funding. This plan will take a whole-of-government approach, as Housing for All did. My Department is engaging across government to agree the high-level measures to be included in the plan. They must be supported by the required funding in the national development plan. The timing of its publication will be aligned with the outcome of the national development plan review process currently being undertaken by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Sector Reform and Digitalisation. I am committed to its finalisation and publication as soon as possible.
Meanwhile the important work of this Government proceeds, and as Minister supporting the delivery of new homes, it is my key priority, and I am looking at using every means available to do so. Almost €6.8 billion, a record level of funding, has been provided by the Government for the delivery of housing in 2025. In recent months, the revised national planning framework was approved, An Coimisiún Pleanála was established with a new chairperson appointed and rent pressure zones have been expanded and extended nationwide as part of measures to secure the supply of rental accommodation and promote investment in housing.
I have also recently issued the next call for expressions under the croí cónaithe cities scheme. The new national housing plan, which will be published in the coming months, will build on the measures we have introduced to date and set us on a sustainable path to meeting our housing needs nationally. We do need the national development plan first. It is simply common sense to publish a housing plan that includes the NDP, finalised after its publication. Then we can publish the new national housing plan.
In response to an earlier question, the Minister made a comment about bringing forward solutions. We can come in here and fight every week - we could fight for the next five years - but we have taken the decision to come in and try to work with the Government and bring forward solutions. Three weeks ago, I brought forward a solution. While it will not fix the housing crisis, it would bring in thousands of empty and boarded-up council houses that are owned by the State. We now own enough boarded-up council properties that we could house every family living in homelessness accommodation. That could be achieved. All we need is funding and staffing for local authorities. We also need local authorities to get back to building houses directly. I ask the Minister to reverse the decisions taken by Fianna Fáil in the 1990s to take local authorities out of building homes and to return us to a system that worked. On a final point, the Government slashed funding to the tenant in situ scheme. I am dealing with families who are still feeling the effects of that.
The Deputy's proposal a number of weeks ago was simply to write blank cheques for local authorities. That is not a solution. We have to manage our finances and we have only a certain amount of funding. We want those voids brought back in but, as the Deputy will recall, one of the properties was a property that could not be let because it had not had a stairs for five years. There is no reason or rationale for that to be the case.
On the rest of the housing plan, we will have this housing plan done as quickly as possible. We have gone back to building social houses. We are encouraging local authorities to build as much social housing as possible. Today we published the delivery rate of various local authorities. It is extraordinary to see with some local authorities, even side by side to each other, how some can deliver as little as 3% own-build housing while others are above 40%. The ability is there. The local authorities that are actually delivering large amounts of social housing own-builds show that the Government is backing the local authorities where those local authorities are determined to build those social houses. We will continue to back those but we want to encourage the other local authorities to rise up to meet the top standard that some of those other local authorities are delivering.
The Minister talks about local authorities delivering on target and delivering social housing and cost-rental and affordable housing. Cork City Council is probably one of the best local authorities in the State for delivering social and cost-rental and affordable housing, and yet the housing list goes up. It is because the Minister's Government has set targets so low that even when local authorities do hit the targets they are supposed to hit, the numbers of people looking for social housing are going up. The homelessness figures are going up every month. I believe the figure we are at now is 4,844 children, off the top of my head. I asked the Minister's predecessor, Darragh O'Brien, how many children must become homeless before he and this Government will accept that the policy has failed. I do not want it to get to 5,000 and I do not think the Minister does either, but 5,000 children will be homeless in the lifetime of this Government. We were in here two weeks ago with a cross-party proposal in relation to the Raise the Roof rally and fixing the housing emergency. This is an emergency and the Minister is not treating it like one. I ask him sincerely to grab this Government and say, "This is a housing emergency, so stand up and deliver the solutions that we need."
I am treating it as an emergency. The number seeking social housing is increasing, as it is for cost-rental and affordable and private housing, because the population of this country is exploding as a result of the successful economic steerage of this country. It is a good thing that our population is increasing as a result of our economy. It puts more pressure on me and the Government to deliver even more housing and we are going to do that to meet the increasing population needs. I acknowledge that we need more social housing. There is no question about that. I am determined to deliver more. That is why today I got Government agreement to end the four-stage process and the three-stage and two-stage processes. We will have only a single-stage process for local authorities to deliver social housing so that those local authorities that are determined to build social housing will be able to do so. We have increased the ceiling from €8 billion to €200 billion, which is a significant increase as well. The local authorities that want to build can build. They can build at the moment, but now they will be able to build even more quickly.
12. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has plans to increase local government funding in areas of rapid population growth, such as Kildare north, to meet its demands, as it directly affects the levels of service provisions that can be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35893/25]
My question for the Minister of State today is on behalf of the people of north Kildare, and indeed the entire county of Kildare. What plans does the Department have to increase local government funding to County Kildare, considering its rapid population growth, to meet its demands? The demands of the people there have been directly affected by the decrease in the provision of services.
I thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter, as he regularly does in this Chamber . His advocacy for Kildare is certainly well noted. As he will be aware, I was in Kildare last Thursday, when I visited the local authority and engaged with the executive team. Much of what the Deputy has raised here in his question was the subject of the discussion we had.
The system of funding of local government in Ireland is a complex one. Local authorities derive their income from a range of sources, including commercial rates, charges for goods and services provided, the local property tax, and grants from various Departments and State agencies for both capital and current expenditure purposes. The central government grant funding to Kildare County Council increased by more than 60% from €168.3 million in 2018 to €271.9 million in 2023, according to its audited annual financial statements. Across all schemes and funding sources, the Department provided €164.9 million in 2020, €218.6 million in 2023 and €233.2 million in 2024.
With regard to local property tax, LPT, which makes up approximately 6% of the sector's locally raised income, a review of baselines was completed by a working group in 2023, which resulted in an increase of €1.5 million to the baseline LPT for Kildare County Council.
We have established a local democracy task force, which had its first meeting last week, where funding for local authorities is an important stream. I will give further detail on LPT allocations in my follow-up replies.
I thank the Minister of State. The simple fact is that the population of Kildare has increased by 50% in the last 20 years. Although the State has grown, Kildare and especially north Kildare has outpaced that and grown rapidly. Unfortunately, the delivery of funding to the local government in Kildare, Kildare County Council, has not been kept at the same pace. That means we do not have the delivery of facilities we should have and which nearby counties have. Kildare has been at the lowest spend per capita among the councils in all other counties. It has been behind in how services are delivered. Obviously, there is always the debate that more can be done from within the councils themselves but, ultimately, funding is a key aspect.
I welcome the point the Minister of State made about the LPT and how we can maybe keep more funding within rapidly growing county councils. I look forward to hearing his further detail on that.
It is the case that, through a decision made in Cabinet today on the LPT model, there will be a significant increase in LPT for Kildare County Council as part of its 2026 figures. That will be made up from an increase in the baseline figures but also from the retention element moving from 22.5% to 31%. It means that Kildare County Council will have an additional €4.9 million in funding in LPT for 2026 over and above what was provided in 2025.
I wholeheartedly welcome that number and €5 million extra per year is welcome news. I am also conscious that the LPT is ultimately paid by the people in the county. Much of that money is hard earned and it is welcome that we are now in a position where more of it can be retained. This money will go back towards the playgrounds, the parks and the delivery of basic services that we have all around the county. We know that we need to do more. The population is growing. Our estates are full. We can discuss a lot about housing in places like Leixlip, Maynooth, Clane, Naas and Kilcock, where a lot of houses are being built, but with this housing we need services. Every extra bit of LPT that we can retain in the county is welcome. The news is good tonight but I will keep fighting for the cause of the people of north Kildare, because I know we have been behind. Hopefully, I can continue to be able to raise these issues and to push on behalf of the people of the county.
I have no doubt that the Deputy will continue to use this Chamber to be a strong advocate for north Kildare and the county as a whole. The Deputy is right about the LPT; there is a recognition in the Government of the increased pressures on areas like Kildare. That is why we are saying as a Government, in line with the decisions that have been made by the Cabinet and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, that we will allow for a higher retention rate in areas that have a growing population, additional housing and increased pressure to provide services for the people. That is why an additional €4.9 million in LPT will be available to Kildare County Council to put towards the capital infrastructure projects that are required for the growing population in County Kildare.
13. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage following the publication of the national planning framework, if he will advise when the local authorities will receive their revised population figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35827/25]
Following the publication of the national planning framework, NPF, will the Minister of State advise when the local authorities will receive their revised population figures? It is important that these guidelines are rolled out to county councils as soon as possible to allow them to amend their county development plans and local area plans. Because of the delay, I have seen a planning application for 335 houses in Blessington, County Wicklow, which is supported by the council and all elected representatives, being refused by An Bord Pleanála, because the local area plan was not up to date with the new housing targets.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, as he has done previously. As I do, the Deputy recognises the importance of translating what we have approved in this House in the national planning framework into getting it implemented by local authorities in their development plans as early as possible. That is why the Minister, Deputy Browne, has written to local authorities telling them to prepare and start work on their variation processes. We will be writing to local authorities very shortly about their housing growth requirements for the interim years, up until the next revision of their development plans. We are engaging with the Attorney General on this matter. We want to ensure that any of the housing growth requirements that we give to local authorities are legally robust and stand up to scrutiny. The point made by the Deputy about local authorities being able to zone a sufficient amount of land in order to deliver much-needed homes for individuals and families is a key priority of the Minister and me. We have done an extensive amount of work on this issue with our planning officials. We want to get this right in order to ensure we have sufficient zoning of land to be able to provide houses for individuals and families in Wicklow and across the country.
On a related matter, I want to bring up the issue of headroom. At this stage, no guidance has been issued on this. From my experience of development plans, the previous directive from the Office of the Planning Regulator was 0% headroom, which is very misguided. It is imperative that there is a considerable percentage headroom because in practice many sites will not be developed for various reasons. All landowners are not ready to be developers and in the real world, site development often has many obstacles, including costs, and may lead to planning refusals. I suggest a headroom of the order of 70%.
I can assure the Deputy that there will be headroom in the housing growth requirements. Obviously, there will be the base, in line with what is in the national planning framework, which is to provide about 54,000 homes per annum. This is a significant increase compared with the 33,000 previously. There is a requirement in the base for a significant additional zoning requirement. As we know that not every parcel of land is brought forward for development, there is a requirement for headroom in terms of that. The Minister and I have been very clear with our officials on this matter. Local authorities will have clearer understanding of what that will be very shortly.
From a national point of view, councils must be closely involved in the delivery of housing. Delivery must be micromanaged. These county targets must be drilled down further, with monthly figures produced by all local authorities of actual homes built versus targets and explanations given. This is the only way to deliver large numbers of houses. The Minister must then meet the CEOs of the councils and the heads of planning on a quarterly basis. This method is exactly the way a business would aim to achieve its targets. Tiered zoning refers to lower tiers with fewer services. However, in many current plans, it is tiered, even when they both have access to services. There should be no tiered zoning in these cases. If tier 1 is not developed, it often stops tier 2 from being developed.
Regarding forward planning, we need to address the concentration of development in Dublin and the greater Dublin area. We need to focus very much on places like Cork, Limerick and Galway. There is clear evidence that the growth in jobs continues in Cork. Therefore, we must develop the housing in order to accommodate those new jobs. I do not believe we are working hard enough to develop areas outside of Dublin regarding housing and the infrastructure required. In the last census, the population of Cork was 581,000. It is now more than 600,000. In a very short time, if we do it correctly, it will be more than 650,000. The industries are there. They want to stay there and grow but in order for this to happen, more housing is needed. It is extremely important that there is forward planning for areas outside of Dublin and the greater Dublin region.
I thank both Deputies. Increasing housing supply in all parts of the country is critical. The variation process in terms of the county development plans is a very important part of this. That is why such extensive work has been done in the Department to ensure that the housing growth requirements are aligned with the NPF and that they also allow for additional headroom in terms of zoning requirements for local authorities. We want additional land to be brought forward for housing across the country.
On Deputy Timmins's point, the Minister met the CEOs and directors of services for housing and planners very recently. I have met up to now about ten local authorities in my engagements around the country. We are discussing forward planning and delivery of housing units across all of the streams. We will continue to do so as a Government.
14. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when funding will be released for a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35898/25]
When will €5 million of funding be released for infrastructure at the Mungret site in Limerick? This is a partnership between Limerick City and County Council and the Land Development Agency, LDA.
Essentially, it is funding for a plaza and a link road to allow them to proceed to tender and construction for 250-plus homes.
I thank Deputy Sheehan for asking when funding will be made available for a project. This is the shortfall of €5 million to cover infrastructure for the Mungret LDA development of 250 units in Limerick. The Deputy's question relates to the development of the lands at the former Mungret College, which is a key strategic priority for Limerick City and County Council. The site will see the delivery of 250 affordable and social homes, together with community and crèche facilities over a three- to four-year period. This includes the proposed development of 181 affordable purchase homes and two community dwellings for people with disabilities in partnership with the Land Development Agency and homes for older people and a crèche being delivered by the approved housing body Clúid.
Funding approval from the affordable housing fund is in place to support the delivery of the 181 affordable purchase homes by the LDA. However, Limerick City and County Council has advised my Department that an additional funding requirement has arisen for enabling infrastructure. I understand that Limerick City and County Council is considering the matter in conjunction with its delivery partners. I also understand the strategic importance of this development and will work proactively with Limerick and its delivery partners to support the work.
It is envisaged that the housing activation office will manage a multi-annual housing infrastructure investment fund under the national development plan. The scope of this fund will be determined as part of the review of the national development plan, which is due to be completed in July. This will inform the programme of investment. While I cannot comment on any individual sites in advance of the opening of that fund for infrastructure proposals, there will be engagement with stakeholders, including local authorities, to identify priority areas for support.
From the substance of the Minister's reply, it sounds like this funding is being delayed until the new infrastructure fund is active. Is there a way he can frontload the delivery of the infrastructure fund to release the funding? As far as I understand, there was a proposal from the LDA that the €5 million shortfall would be added to the purchase price of the affordable homes, which is totally unacceptable. Through the framework, there is potential to deliver 1,950 homes in Mungret. From talking to the local authority, as far as I understand, a funding ask has been with the Department, the Department of public expenditure, and it has even been sent to the Department of the Taoiseach, since March. I sincerely urge the Minister to clarify whether this has been delayed until the infrastructure fund is up and running or to release the funding soon.
Funding for the housing activation office will come under the national development plan, which is currently being agreed. Limerick City and County Council has received local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF, funding for the delivery of the first two phases of a new distributor road at Mungret. LIHAF funding approval of €22.1 million was given, of which €6.6 million was funded by the Department and the balance by Limerick City and County Council. Both phases funded by LIHAF are now complete, with the second section of the road opening in April 2024. Up to the end of 2024, this road has allowed 203 homes to be delivered, including 99 cost-reduced units. Funding approval of more than €18 million is in place to support the delivery of 181 affordable purchase units by 2027 with the support of the affordable housing fund. In total, the proposed mixed tenure development will comprise 181 affordable purchase homes and two community dwellings for people with disabilities, which are being delivered by the Land Development Agency, together with 69 social houses for older persons and a crèche to be delivered by Clúid AHB. I welcome Limerick's ambition in this regard.
Limerick City and County Council has informally advised the Department that a funding shortfall of €5 million has been identified. It is understood that this funding requirement relates to the infrastructural realm. We will work with Limerick City and County Council to help meet its ambition.
I thank the Minister. From my point of view and that of the local authority, this entire project is essentially being held up because of €5 million, which is a very small sum of money in the grand scale of things. This project has been in planning since last year and was first announced in May 2024. We have had the highest percentage increase in house prices in Limerick in the past year because we have such a shortage of housing. From the Minister's response, it sounds like the release of the €5 million will be delayed until after the review of the NDP. Will he confirm whether the funding will be released soon or if it will be deferred until the NDP review is published?
The Department has not received any formal submission on funding. We have been made aware that there is a funding issue and we are engaging with the local authority to see what is the best way forward to address it.
15. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the efforts he and his Department have made to encourage new technologies in the construction sector; the role he believes modular housing can play in the current crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35401/25]
Will the Minister outline the efforts he and his Department have made to encourage new technologies in the construction sector, and the role he believes modular housing can play?
I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this question about the encouragement of new technologies in the construction sector, including modular housing. I understand he has raised this issue on numerous occasions.
The use of modern methods of construction, MMC, is a key policy measure to boost construction sector productivity and to support the scaling-up of delivery of new housing supply. MMC is a collective term which describes a number of innovative alternatives to traditional on-site construction methods. It does include 3D volumetric modules, which are commonly known as modular houses, but also includes a number of other systems, including 2D systems like timber frames, light-gauge steel or insulated concrete formwork, all of which have the potential to increase productivity in construction.
We have already made a good deal of progress under Housing for All in terms of promoting the use of MMC in both public and private housing. We are supporting local authorities to adopt MMC in social and affordable housing, including through the publication of the 2023 roadmap for increased adoption of MMC in public housing and by providing real opportunities to deliver homes using MMC. For example, my Department has an accelerated delivery programme which will deliver more than 1,500 social homes through local authorities, all being built using modern methods of construction.
In terms of modular projects, Wexford County Council is progressing a pilot social housing project for 22 modular homes at a site in New Ross, with funding support from my Department, and that will present an opportunity to examine the potential of this type of MMC through this and other modular projects. I am keen to continue the progress the Government has made to date in encouraging the use of MMC and it will form an important aspect of the next housing plan.
The Minister referenced the fact that the Department has made a good deal of progress on MMC. Will he quantify that for me if he has the figures available? How many units have been built since 2023 or whatever date he referenced? I understand a target of 1,500 was mentioned, but will he quantify the number of units that have been delivered via this method?
A much-maligned project took place in Mahon in Cork two years ago that turned out to be more expensive and took longer than a conventional build. It is very easy for us to react negatively to MMC and modular housing but my belief is that it has a crucial role to play in the future. A company was established in my area in recent years which deals with a specific type of modular housing, namely, the conversion of shipping containers. It is something we must consider, not perhaps as a long-term solution for housing but at least as a temporary solution.
I fully agree with the Deputy that MMC is critical to housing delivery in this country. When modular units were first proposed for schools, for example, there was a little bit of pushback from school principals, who were concerned as many of them had grown up with very poor prefabs and perhaps they thought that was what was coming. I was chair of a school board of management at the time, and when the modular building arrived, we saw the high quality of the build. School principals then raced to get them because they could be got at such speed.
A similar change of mindset is required for housing. It is the way forward. Our tradespeople are getting older and it is becoming more and more difficult to replace them, so if we want to build housing at scale, it must be done through modern methods of construction. One of the things the Government did today was to get agreement to end the four-stage process and reduce it to a single-stage process, but also to make it mandatory for local authorities to use a housing design manual from the Department of housing, which contains 60 designs. What that will also do is help those providing MMC across the country to know they can now scale up because there will be consistency of style specifications for the delivery of social housing throughout the country.
I am someone who is about to embark on a journey with my family to build our first home.
If there was a genuine modular offering for us as a family, we would look at it but, unfortunately, it is just not there for us as one-off house builders. I am lucky to be in that position. Still, there are significant barriers there. I was at a lunch today with the Estonian ambassador and she spoke to me about a conference she attended, which I believe a number of colleagues attended as well as part of a trade mission in the past few years, where there had been issues with certification. They are able to build these houses to scale in central and eastern Europe. Obviously, a house being built in Estonia will be different from one being built in Ireland. I assume climate plays a role in that. The Estonians speak about our inability to get over the bureaucracy and how we are strangled by certification. It is necessary but this is three years after she first flagged it as an issue. That is something that frustrates me. Between the Custom House and Department of public expenditure we get bogged down in bureaucracy and administration. Hopefully some day we can break free from it and get on with delivering these units.
I agree. It is simply taking too long to get certification for the use of modular builds in this country. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is engaging with his counterpart in the Department of enterprise. We are determined to get to a situation where we can get certification done at a much quicker pace. We need it done. We have an ageing workforce. It is getting more difficult to replace them. If we want to go from 30,000 houses a year to 60,000 houses a year, it has to be done using modern methods of construction. That is modular build. I was in Hong Kong in March. There, 45-storey apartment blocks are being built purely using modular. They can do it at an extraordinary pace. We need to do it. It is also about productivity. We have very low productivity in the building sector in Ireland. Again, that is because we are not using modern methods of construction compared to other countries. We are behind the curve on this. The Minister of State and I are determined that we will catch up very quickly.
16. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if new EE-zoned land will be identified in tandem with industrial land rezonings for housing to enable relocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35806/25]
Will the Department issue guidance on the need for enterprise and employment zoned land to be identified in tandem with the industrial land rezonings that are being rezoned to enable further provision of housing and if that will then be used to enable relocation?
The zoning of land is an exercise undertaken by planning authorities as part of their development plan process. The making of a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority who are required by legislation to be consistent with the established statutory national and regional planning policy and legislation, including, as identified in the national planning framework, regional spatial and economic strategies and ministerial planning guidelines. Development plans have to set out planning policies and objectives to provide for proper planning and sustainable development in their area over the six-year lifespan of the plan. We are moving to ten-year development plans. They must also include mandatory objectives for regeneration. It is up to local authorities to decide the quantum and location of zoned land, for whatever purpose. In the context of the guidance I referred to earlier that the Department will issue regarding the housing growth requirements, it will be a requirement for every local authority to vary their development plans. It will be a matter for the members in terms of the quantum and the exact location.
I thank the Minister of State for that reply. The context for this question is in the fact the Dublin local authorities are advancing development frameworks that involve the rezoning of existing industrial land to residential or mixed use to meet housing supply targets. As the Minister of State said in his reply, that is a function of the local authority but done under the auspices of the national and regional strategies. The most recent example is the Ballyboggan masterplan, where Dublin City Council will rezone approximately 77 ha of industrial land between Cabra and Glasnevin to deliver an extra 6,000. Similarly, in south Dublin county, Cookstown and Ballymount are part of the city edge project. While this rezoning is welcome and makes sense from an urban development point of view, I have also raised in the House a number of times the need for space for indigenous SMEs to scale up. They are coming to me and other representatives around the country saying there is a shortage of industrial land and enterprise and employment zoned land. While I respect the right of planning authorities to set the development plans, we also know they are done within the context of national strategies and guidance issued from the Department. Will it specifically call out the need to ensure there is sufficient industrial land as well as the more than necessary zoning of housing land?
It is the requirement of local authorities and the reserved function of members to decide what locations and what specific zoning objectives they determine for each land bank. They are required to include mandatory objectives regarding regeneration and to provide zoning for residential, commercial, employment and enterprise, industrial and other uses to such extent as the proper planning and sustainable development of an area requires. The Minister and I will write to the local authorities in the context of their housing growth requirements and the variation process, but we do have to respect the reserved function of local authority members in setting their development plans where they feel it is appropriate for those given uses, be they very important industrial uses, residential, commercial or other uses as they see fit.
One of the reasons I am raising this is the shortage of land. If we want to promote compact growth, or initiatives like 15-minute cities, it is important with large-scale housing developments we have adequate amounts of industrial and commercial land there as well. While I fully take the point that planning authorities do set their own development plans, we are also familiar with instances where either the Office of the Planning Regulator or a ministerial order has been put in place to vary or alter a development plan, as happened in my own county. I encourage the Minister to consider issuing guidance to local authorities in terms of thinking of the amount and quantum of EE land available in their counties to support employment in the large housing developments that are going to happen, to encourage compact growth and to be complementary to the transport-led planning, which we require as well. In the context of a vacancy that has been identified by Ministers in this House, there is not sufficient space for companies and SMEs in particular that want to scale up. We need to support their growth as the backbone of our economy in these uncertain global times.
I appreciate the comments the Deputy made. It is not just for residential purposes; it is for industrial and commercial. While we do not instruct local authorities on specific areas, it is obviously a requirement to forward planning teams to look at the overall picture within a local authority area and determine where they feel residential, commercial, industrial zoning is appropriate and ensure there is an appropriate quantum of all of those uses within their local authority area. We will write to local authorities in terms of their housing growth requirements. That does open the variation process. The forward planning units within local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that full spectrum of uses is contained in any development plan.
