Written Answers Nos. 573-596
573. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to a video advising adults how to move back in with parents, if a video will be done on advising adults who cannot return to the family home for reasons of domestic violence, on the way in which they should approach notices to quit and unaffordable rents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71779/25]
View answerThe video and information campaign referred to is not a direct Department of Housing campaign but was shared by my Department.
The Housing Agency, in partnership with Spunout - Ireland’s youth information and support platform - developed and funded the information campaign.
However, my Department develops and implements information and awareness campaigns on a regular basis on topics to keep the public informed on everything from the housing supports available to them, to fire safety and registering to vote.
Videos for our social media platforms, are created in-house on an on-going basis to keep the public informed of housing opportunities, grants and schemes, local government, planning and heritage news updates, weather events and the works of our National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Our website also contains press releases and publications relating to the wide remit of my Department.
Information campaigns are being planned in my Department and are active on traditional and digital platforms on a regular basis. At the moment, our annual Fire Safety campaign is running across digital and broadcast platforms. A campaign encouraging individuals to apply to be entered on the Register of Electors for the Seanad Éireann Higher Education constituency will begin in January.
Our new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities commits to a new Starter Homes communications campaign to ensure that everyone has the information they need to understand the range of housing supports and opportunities available.
The Residential Tenancies Board is the independent public body that regulates Ireland’s rental sector. It regularly runs information campaigns for the public. It is planning a campaign on the new rules on rent regulation and security of tenure for new tenancies created from 1st March 2026.
In the interim, information on the Government’s approved new policies which will strengthen rent controls and tenancy protections for new tenancies is available on my Department’s website.
The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross-Departmental and multi-agency issue, with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice.
Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims rests with the Minister for Justice working in conjunction with Cuan, the statutory DSGBV agency under the remit of the Department of Justice. My Department currently provides capital funding support for the construction of new Domestic Violence Refuges, via the Capital Assistance Scheme.
In 2017, my Department issued policy and procedural guidance to local authorities relating to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence. The issuing of this 2017 policy and guidance was a significant action in the second national strategy on DSGBV 2016-2021, and has since played an important role in addressing the housing needs of victims and survivors of DSGBV, providing direction to local authorities in supporting victims of domestic violence. It covers a range of scenarios that may arise for victims of domestic violence currently in receipt of social housing support and those seeking social housing supports. These include provisions around the use of the Housing Assistance Payment scheme, or the Rental Accommodation Scheme, where a victim has a joint interest in the family home, or ownership of alternative accommodation, but would otherwise qualify for social housing support.
In addition to the above supports, a new protocol was established in 2020 when the Minister for Social Protection agreed to make rent supplement more accessible to victims of domestic violence. This measure aims to ensure that they are not prevented from leaving their homes because of financial or accommodation difficulties.
In June, 2022 the Department of Justice published Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV 2022-2026. As an action in this strategy, my Department committed to a review of the 2017 Policy and Procedural Guidance for Housing Authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs in order to ensure continuing effectiveness and consistency in responses to assist victims of domestic violence.
Work is ongoing on updating the 2017 Guidelines to clarify that housing authorities should support the victim to remain in the home or return to the home wherever possible once it is safe to do so and it is the victim’s preference.
574. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being taken to control costs and prevent overruns in the greater Dublin drainage project. [71510/25]
View answerThe Greater Dublin Drainage Project (“GDD”) is a critical project to provide for growth in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). It will provide wastewater treatment and network capacity to support the long term sustainable growth of the GDA and to ensure treatment of wastewater remains compliant with the requirements of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.
Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects and expenditures is a matter for Uisce Éireann, and is approved through its own internal governance structures. I have no role in relation to day to day capital or operational matters.
However, Uisce Éireann is also subject to the Infrastructure Guidelines, which sets out the value for money guidelines for the evaluation, planning and management of public investment project.
The GDD is currently at Approval Gate 2 of the Guidelines which relates to the Detailed Business Case and Procurement Strategy.
The project will be brought to Government for approval at Approval Gate 3 – Final Business Case in due course, which will include the full cost of the project following procurement and the measures for ensuring the project is delivered on time and in accordance with budget.
575. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will give approval to the HSE to occupy apartments for people in their care (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71917/25]
View answerMy Department has received an initial enquiry from South Dublin County Council regarding the potential leasing of existing social housing units - developed with the support of Departmental funding - to an alternative care provider operating within the wider disability sector. The purpose of the proposal is to ensure the continued use of these units as supported or social housing.
My Department is currently examining the details of the request. Once this assessment has been completed, my Department will revert to the local authority with its observations and any further required guidance in due course.
576. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding allocated to Carlow County Council for housing grants in 2025, under housing aid for older people grant, housing adaptation grant for people with a disability and mobility aids grant, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71936/25]
View answer577. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total funding drawn down by Carlow County Council for housing Grants in 2025, under housing aid for older people grant, housing adaptation grant for people with a disability and mobility aids grant, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71937/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 577 together.
My Department provides funding under the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People, to assist those in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants, which include the Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, are funded by my Department with a contribution from the local authority. The detailed administration of the scheme including assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment is the responsibility of local authorities.
The Exchequer funding available for these grants in 2025 has been increased substantially by €25 million to €99.5 million, or over €117 million when accounting for the local authority contribution. Carlow County Council received an Exchequer allocation of over €1.6 million, an increase of 17% on the original allocation in 2024.
My Department works closely with the local authorities to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of available funding. This means that any underspends that arise on the part of any local authority can be redistributed to other authorities which have high levels of grant activity and my Department makes every effort to redistribute such funding throughout the year.
Carlow County Council requested additional funding from my Department, during 2025, which considered and approved a further Exchequer allocation provision of €216,822 in July 2025. In October 2025, Carlow County Council informed my Department that the additional funding approved was no longer required.
The total funding drawn down by local authorities will be available on my Department’s website in early 2026.
Budget 2026 provides a further increase of €30 million for the scheme, with almost €130 million available, continuing the year on year increases since 2014.
578. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the fair deal where a house must be sold within one year of the date of death, if a new tenant after 1 March 206 has a right to a six year tenancy in the same house after it is sold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71950/25]
View answerOn 14 October 2025, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025, which is now the subject of priority drafting by the Office of Parliamentary Council and pre legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Bill will amend the current system of rent controls and provide new measures to protect tenants, including stronger security of tenure, to come into effect for new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026.
The Bill will include a number of provisions to mitigate the impact of 6 year Tenancies of Minimum Duration (TMDs) on a smaller landlord (i.e. a landlord who is not a company and has 3 or fewer tenancies). A smaller landlord will be allowed to terminate a tenancy at any time during a 6 year TMD if:
• the landlord intends to sell the rented dwelling due to financial hardship (to be prescribed in law) and does not wish to do so with the tenant(s) in situ;
• the landlord requires the property for himself/herself or an immediate family member (spouse/civil partner, child or parent) to occupy as a principal private residence;
• the tenant is breaching his/her tenancy obligations; or
• the dwelling is no longer suitable to the accommodation needs of the tenant household.
A detailed communications campaign by this Department, in conjunction with the RTB, will continue to publicise the new legislative measures from 1 March 2026.
Up-to-date information is available at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/government-reforms-to-the-rental-sector-starting-1-march-2026/.
The information provided in this reply is based on the policy measures approved by the Government on 10 June 2025 to come into effect on 1 March 2026, in order to boost investment in the supply of homes available for rent and keep existing landlords in the market. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill will be published as soon as possible and will be subject to debate, and open to amendment, during the legislative process in the Houses of the Oireachtas.
579. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on an application for a person (details supplied) to the NPWS environmental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [71993/25]
View answerFollowing a procurement process, a planner was assigned to draft a bespoke National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) farm plan for this participant. This plan has recently been approved and I can confirm that the plan will be sent to the participant in the coming days. The planner will also follow up directly with the participant.
580. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will address the concerns regarding the Craoí Cónaithe Grant , raised in correspondence (details supplied) [72001/25]
View answerThe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.
The objective of the grant is to support the refurbishment of vacant and derelict properties, bringing them back into use as homes. In order to qualify for the grant, the property must be vacant for two years or more at the time of application.
While demolition and extension works can form part of an application for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, such works must be part of a wider refurbishment of the existing dwelling in keeping with the objectives of the scheme
The grant is administered and managed by local authorities, who process and decide on applications and issue grant payments on completion of approved refurbishment works. While the Department issues guidance to local authorities on the scheme, it has no direct role in deciding on individual applications.
Where an application is not successful, the applicant can lodge an appeal with the local authority to whom the application was made. A senior local authority official who was not involved with the original decision will assess the appeal and contact the applicant with the outcome. If the applicant's appeal is unsuccessful they can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman.
Information on the scheme and conditions is available for applicants on my Department's website at [Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant] (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/services/vacant-property-refurbishment-grant/) .
581. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount his Department has spent on translation services from a company (details supplied) for the years 2020 to 2025 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72071/25]
View answerMy Department has not engaged the services of the company referenced, in the period specified.
582. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of local property tax allocations to Kildare County Council, by municipal district, including north Kildare, for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72083/25]
View answer583. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the per capita figures for local property tax allocations across all municipal districts in Kildare, including north Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72084/25]
View answer584. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which population growth in north Kildare has been taken into account in local property tax allocation decisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72085/25]
View answer585. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will publish any impact assessments carried out before Kildare County Council applied local property tax variation factors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72086/25]
View answer586. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the way in which the local property tax equalisation mechanism impacts Kildare County Council's receipts, with particular reference to north Kildare; if he will consider publishing disaggregated data on an annual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72087/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 582, 583, 584, 585 and 586 together.
Local Property Tax (LPT) is administered and collected by the Revenue Commissioners and subsequently transferred into the Local Government Fund (LGF). The funds are redistributed, by my Department, to local authorities in accordance with the Government’s allocation policies.
Funding allocations are decided in advance of collection, based on estimates (from the Revenue Commissioners) of the LPT yield in individual local authority areas for the following liability year. Apart from the yield, there are three other factors that ultimately determine the annual LPT allocation for an individual local authority; namely, the local authority’s LPT baseline (minimum funding requirement), the amount of any surplus above an authority’s LPT baseline used to self-fund certain local housing or roads services, and, finally, the local adjustment factor. Under the LPT allocation model, every local authority has a minimum level of funding available to it, known as the baseline. If the estimated LPT yield in a local authority area is lower than an authority’s baseline, the authority is topped-up or equalised to that baseline by the Exchequer via the Local Government Fund. Accordingly, the allocations are determined on a local authority basis, rather than by Municipal District, or any other geographical area. My Department does not collate data regarding any further redistribution of LPT funding by a local authority to a Municipal District, as that is a matter for the authority itself, in accordance with its own budgetary priorities.
The LPT allocation mechanism was changed in 2023 to allow for 100% of the estimated LPT yield to be retained locally within the local authority area where it is collected. As an authority with expected LPT receipts in excess of its baseline, Kildare County Council does not require equalisation funding from the Exchequer, nor does it contribute towards the equalisation funding of other local authorities.
In accordance with the recommendations of the 2023 Baseline Review working group, baselines for each local authority were adjusted for 2024, in accordance with five criteria: population, area, deprivation levels, an authority’s locally raised income and achievement of National Policy Priorities. A summary report which outlines the weighting and application of the criteria to individual baselines is available at this link: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/summary-report-on-local-property-tax-baseline-review-2023/ . Following the review, every authority received an increase in baseline funding of at least €1.5m, including Kildare County Council.
Building on the baseline increase of 2024, there will be a further increase of €2m for Kildare County Council in 2026, in line with the expected increased yield from revaluation expected in the local authority area. Accordingly, Kildare County Council’s baseline is increased by €3.5m, or nearly 30% from 2023 to 2026.
In addition, the allocation model for 2026 is changed to allow those authorities, such as Kildare County Council, with an LPT income above their baseline to retain a greater portion of the surplus for their own use, increasing from 22.5% to 31% of overall yield. The combination of the baseline increase along with the increased surplus retained (i.e. 31%), will lead to an overall increase in own use funding for Kildare County Council in the sum of €7.4m from 2023 to 2026, before any local variation decision is taken into account.
Under section 20 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, as amended, a local authority may, as a reserved function, resolve to vary the basic rate of the Local Property Tax within its functional area by a maximum of +/- 15%. The decision to vary must be taken by resolution of the Council. While recent changes to the LPT legislation will allow elected members to adjust the Local Adjustment Factor (LAF) upwards to a maximum of 25%; due to the timing of the legislation, commencement of this section will be delayed until the 2027 LPT liability year.
Any variation in the basic rate will have an impact on the local authority, on those paying LPT, and on those receiving council services. An estimation of the financial effect of a variation decision on all stakeholders must be considered in a report prepared under the direction of the Chief Executive and provided to the elected members at least 3 days before the day on which they meet to consider setting a local adjustment factor. The subsequent publication of any report prepared for this purpose is a matter for the local authority concerned.
Kildare County Council most recently passed a resolution to vary the base rate of LPT in Kildare upwards by 10% for the 2026 and 2027 liability years. This decision will generate an additional €2.9m for the authority’s own discretionary use in 2026. The overall 2026 LPT allocation for Kildare County Council is €32.3m, of which €27.3m is for the authorities own discretionary use with the remaining €5m required to self-fund housing services in the local authority area. It is a matter for Kildare County Council to determine the spending priorities of its ‘own use’ LPT funding in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
Detailed information regarding LPT allocations for each year is published by my Department at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/ea27d-local-property-tax-allocations/ .
587. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the derelict sites levy, levied, collected, owed and cumulatively owed; the number of sites on the register as of 31 December 2024 and at the current date, by local authority, in tabular form. [72138/25]
View answerI refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 1,012 of 4 November 2025 which sets out the position in relation to this matter.
588. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the date for return of collection data for 2025 of the derelict sites levy. [72139/25]
View answerLocal Authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in their functional areas. The derelict sites returns for 2025 will be collected from the local authorities in Quarter 2 of 2026
589. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the latest data on the amounts levied, collected, owed and cumulatively owed; the number of sites on each register for the vacant sites levy and the residential zoned land tax, by local authority, in tabular form. [72140/25]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the Act), each local authority maintains a Vacant Sites Register in respect of their functional area with sites listed in such registers being liable to the vacant site levy, also introduced under the provisions of the Act. As provided for under the Act, the register in respect of each local authority is available for inspection at its offices and online on its website.
Under the vacant site levy provisions in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, planning authorities were empowered to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market valuation of relevant properties which were listed on local authority vacant site registers in 2018, which relevant owners were liable to pay in January 2019. The rate of the levy increased to 7% for sites listed on local authority vacant sites register from 2019 onwards which site owners became liable to pay in January 2020.
Local authorities are responsible for the administration of the vacant site register in respect of their functional area, which includes identifying sites for inclusion on the register and applying the levy to same. The vacant site register of each local authority is available on their website.
The Vacant Sites Levy is being replaced by the Residential Zoned Land Tax, which was introduced in the Finance Act in 2021 and came into effect for the first time in 2025. In the interim period land continued to be placed on Vacant Site Registers and final demands for the payment of the levy for 2024 were issued by relevant local authorities earlier this year. However, no further levies will be issued as any land which remains ‘vacant and idle’ will now be subject to the Residential Zoned Land Tax.
The total value of the vacant site levy since its inception is currently not available as my Department is working on collating this data. It is expected the information will be available shortly.
The Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) is being administered and collected by the Revenue Commissioners, further to the publication of maps identifying lands in scope by the 31 local authorities. The tax is not levied, instead it is administered as a self-assessed return by the landowner to the Revenue Commissioners.
The Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) legislation does not require the identification of distinct sites by local authorities; rather it requires that all land which is zoned residential, or for a mixture of uses including residential, which is serviced and which does not benefit from an exclusion as set out in the legislation, is to be identified on the draft and final maps. Under the legislation, local authorities are required to publish the total area of land in hectares contained on their maps. Overall, circa 46,300 hectares of land comprising residential and mixed use including residential zonings are identified on the final maps for 2025. This information is broken down by Local Authority in the table below. It should also be noted however that where land identified on the maps is occupied by properties that are liable to pay the Local Property Tax (LPT), the land in question is not liable to RZLT
|
Local Authority |
Final Map for 2025 |
|
Hectares (approx.) |
|
|
Carlow |
165 |
|
Cavan |
465 |
|
Clare |
1,085 |
|
Cork City |
3,195 |
|
Cork County |
3,140 |
|
Donegal |
1,680 |
|
DCC |
4,510 |
|
DLRCC |
3,285 |
|
Fingal |
3,695 |
|
Galway City |
1,120 |
|
Galway County |
1,060 |
|
Kerry |
1,195 |
|
Kildare |
1,690 |
|
Kilkenny |
550 |
|
Laois |
1,145 |
|
Leitrim |
320 |
|
Limerick |
1,805 |
|
Longford |
410 |
|
Louth |
1750 |
|
Mayo |
880 |
|
Meath |
2030 |
|
Monaghan |
625 |
|
Offaly |
980 |
|
Roscommon |
105 |
|
Sligo |
605 |
|
SDCC |
2,705 |
|
Tipp |
1,260 |
|
Waterford |
1,545 |
|
Westmeath |
1,150 |
|
Wexford |
380 |
|
Wicklow |
1,735 |
While the 2025 RZLT liability date fell on 1 February last, landowners had until 23 May 2025, being the due date for filing RZLT returns for 2025, to pay the liability, with the exception of where the landowner sells the relevant site between 1 February and 23 May 2025, as where a relevant site is sold, any outstanding RZLT liability must be paid prior to sale. Matters relating to the collection and payment of the tax are a matter for the Department of Finance.
590. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of affordable homes delivered in Cork in 2025. [72142/25]
View answer591. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of cost rental homes delivered, by county, in 2025. [72143/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 590 and 591 together.
The Governments new housing action plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 – 2030, reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented to tackle the issues of supply and affordability. The new action plan supports and extends the various affordable housing schemes now being delivered by a range of delivery partners, and will drive delivery beyond the16,900 affordable housing supports that have already been delivered since the launch of Housing for All, including over 2,300 in Cork.
Both Cork City and Cork County Councils have established a significant pipeline of affordable housing delivery in the Cork area and continue to work proactively with all delivery partners. Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners, including Cork City and Cork County Councils, to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline, to meet affordable housing needs in the Cork area.
My Department publishes programme-level statistics on affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and delivery partners in each local authority area. Data for the years 2022 up to Q2 2025 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/overall-social-and-affordable-housing-provision/
592. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline for delivery of the Northwest Quarter Regeneration, by phases, in Cork. [72144/25]
View answerPlease see below timeline for delivery of the Cork North West Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) projects, by phase. Please note that the table below only includes projects that are fully approved; it does not include projects that are still going through the approval process.
Responsibility for the progression of individual proje
|
Project Name |
Phase |
No of Units |
Project Funding Status |
Construction Status |
Projected Delivery Date/Completion Date |
|
CNWQR Croppy Boy Phase 1 |
1/1 |
24 |
Stage 4 Approved |
Onsite |
Q4 2025 |
|
CNWQR Knocknaheeny Phase 1B |
1/1 |
29 |
Complete |
Completed |
Q3 2017 |
|
CNWQR Knocknaheeny Phase 1C |
1/1 |
41 |
Stage 4 Approved |
Onsite |
Q4 2025 |
|
CNWQR Knocknaheeny Phase 2A |
1/1 |
47 |
Complete |
Completed |
Q4 2019 |
|
CNWQR Knocknaheeny Phase 2B |
1/1 |
38 |
Stage 4 Approved |
Onsite |
Q2 2026 |
|
Regen CNWQR Knocknaheeny Phase 3B |
1/1 |
62 |
Stage 4 Approved |
Not Started |
Q2 2027 |
593. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall funding provided to the NWQR, to date in 2025. [72145/25]
View answerTo date, over €96m has been allocated to projects that are either completed or on-site under the Cork North West Quarter Regeneration (CNWQR) Programme.
The current CNWQR Programme runs until 2028, and it is envisaged that projects will be on-going until this date. The programme is funded project-by-project as submissions are received and reviewed in my Department.
594. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the overall percentage of social housing delivered in 2025 under universal design principles. [72147/25]
View answerMy Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q2 2025 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR), which provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 2 2025. All CSRs are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/.
A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis by local authority, location etc. at this link: [opendata.housing.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q2-2025].
My Department does not collate data on the number of social homes delivered to universal design standards.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities, published 13 November 2025 commits to ensuring that the increased supply of social homes includes homes that reflect universal design principles, fostering inclusivity.
My Department jointly published the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 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: www.gov.ie/en/publication/60d76-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027/. The Strategy and 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.
Separately, my Department published a Design Manual for Quality Housing which is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/b3e02-design-manual-for-quality-housing/. The Manual is intended to guide local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies, and their consultants, on the design of social housing including the internal layouts of individual social homes. The manual includes guidance on the approach to ‘Housing for People with Disability’ (Section 5.3.2) and specific design approaches developed with the input of the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design. My Department is encouraging all local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to utilise this Design Manual as the best way to ensure funding support for the wide range of housing situations that can arise.
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.
596. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the allocation for 2026 social housing acquisition programme. [72150/25]
View answer597. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of tenant-in-situ sales approved in Cork city and county respectively to date in 2025. [72151/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 596 and 597 together.
I expect the parameters of the 2026 Second Hand Acquisitions Programme, including individual local authority allocations, to be notified to local authorities early next year.
Progress by Cork City and Cork County Councils under the 2025 Second Hand Acquisitions Programme is set out in the table below.
|
- |
Allocation |
Current Projected Drawdown |
Total Acquisitions to Date |
Homeless Exit Acquisitions |
Tenancy Sustainment Acquisitions |
Priority Cohorts Acquisitions |
Buy and Renew Acquisitions |
|
Cork City |
€20m |
€21m |
63 |
28 |
27 |
2 |
6 |
|
Cork County |
€15m |
€9.9m |
34 |
5 |
28 |
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I allocated an additional €2 million in September to support acquisitions by Cork City Council for households, particularly larger families with children, to exit emergency homeless accommodation into housing. Any funding not drawn down from this allocation this year will be carried into 2026 and remain ringfenced from the council's broader 2026 Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme allocation.
Notably, there was more than adequate scope available within the original €325 million allocated to the programme this year to support all acquisitions that could be completed by local authorities by end-year. Accordingly, those local authorities that indicated they would likely expend their full initial allocation, but could progress and complete additional acquisitions and draw down the relevant funding this year if additional monies were available, were approved to do so. Both Cork City and County Councils were approved to progress additional acquisitions on this basis.
Local authorities have also been authorised to enter into commitments for 2026 to a value of up to 30% of their original 2025 acquisitions budget. This has allowed them commit, pending an agreed programme budget for 2026, some €95 million extra in 2025 for acquisitions that will complete and draw down nest year. This effectively provides for a multi-annual approach to programme delivery, facilitating local authorities to plan and progress acquisitions from one year to the next with a higher level of certainty vis-à-vis future funding availability.
This provides Cork City and County Councils with scope to commit €6 million and €4.5 million respectively for acquisitions would be likely only to complete and drawdown in 2026. This includes acquisitions to support exits from homelessness, tenancy sustainment via tenant in situ, and other priority cohorts such as older persons, persons with disabilities, etc.
