Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 November 2025
310. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which he will end the housing crisis within his term as Minister; his plans to achieve this goal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62447/25]
View answerWhile supply increased by 137,000 homes since the beginning of 2021, the pace of housing delivery must accelerate even further in the coming years. Increasing long-term overall housing supply, coupled with ensuring targeted supports for those who are most affected, particularly our homeless, is critical to addressing the root causes of the housing crisis.
I have taken a number of decisive actions to ensure there are secure, high quality built communities across all tenure types and we are fully committed to working with all stakeholders to continue accelerating housing supply. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment being provided for the delivery of Housing in 2026, with overall capital funding of over €9 billion announced in Budget 2026.
I have implemented a range of necessary policy changes around zoning, the establishment of a Housing Activation Office, the National Development Plan and the implementation of the Planning and Development Act which will address shortfalls in our planning system and accelerate infrastructure delivery.
The new national housing plan “Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030”, will provide an integrated housing and homelessness response by Government placing our focus on measures to activate supply alongside actions to support people who are homeless or experiencing housing challenges.
The measures under Pillar 1 of the new plan will accelerate the delivery of 300,000 new homes by the end of 2030. To activate the supply of 300,000 homes, we need to ensure a strong pipeline of zoned and serviced land is available; create the conditions to attract the required investment; increase skills and support the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction in the residential construction sector; and work toward ending dereliction and vacancy.
The measures under Pillar 2 of the plan recognise the human side of the housing challenges we currently face. To support our people, I will focus on ending homelessness, deliver homes for older people and support social inclusion; deliver an average of 12,000 new social homes every year; promote homeownership, protect renters and make buying and renting homes more affordable; and invest in the built environment of towns, villages and cities across the country to enhance community well-being.
By addressing these priorities we will ensure the sustained increase in the supply of social, affordable and private homes that we need, while providing targeted supports for those who are most affected by the current housing challenges.
