Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
165. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Housing Activation Office became operational; its current staffing and remit; the key targets and priority actions set for Q1 2026; the role it is playing in supporting large scale housing delivery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5028/26]
View answer233. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline plans for housing activation measures that will provide infrastructure necessary for home building. [4419/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 233 together.
I have established a new Housing Activation Office (HAO) in my Department and the HAO is coordinating and accelerating the delivery of infrastructure projects that are essential to unlock housing development on sites nationwide.
The HAO includes six experts seconded from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector, in addition to staff from my Department with expertise in Planning, Project Management and Administration.
Since its establishment, the HAO has undertaken both formal and informal engagement with various stakeholders to identify and address infrastructure barriers to housing delivery. This has included formal meetings with the 31 individual local authorities between mid-September and the end of November 2025, with approximately 80 meetings held in this period.
To support this work, I convened the new high level Housing Activation Delivery Group on 6 November 2025, bringing together senior representatives from Government Departments and infrastructure agencies, to oversee and support the work of the HAO. I also convened a new Housing Activation Industry Group on that date to provide a forum for regular engagement with industry. Both groups will meet on a quarterly basis, with the next meetings scheduled to take place in January 2026.
To underpin delivery, a new Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) was announced as part of the new housing plan, Delivery homes, Building communities 2025-2030. I launched Call 1 on 20th January 2026, inviting applications for grant funding to support direct investment in critical housing infrastructure projects.
The HIIF is designed to provide enabling infrastructure required to unlock large-scale residential development and will complement investment by other Government Departments and infrastructure agencies, including Uisce Éireann and ESBN, which have received increased funding under the updated NDP to support housing growth. This coordinated approach will help to ensure that lands identified and prioritised for housing are serviced and ready to deliver homes. The HIIF will also operate alongside existing programmes including the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.
Under Call 1, the Fund will focus on advanced infrastructure projects that can be delivered in the 2026–2028 timeframe and activate the early delivery of housing.
My Department will continue to develop the HIIF and intends to broaden its scope in 2026 to include a wider range of public and private sector delivery partners. The primary aim is to build a rolling programme of investment that addresses obstacles to the delivery of housing.
In addition, the Housing Activation Office will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders throughout 2026 to coordinate the delivery of infrastructure projects needed to unlock housing development on sites nationwide.
