Departmental Funding

Thursday, 5 March 2026

Questions (170, 175, 203, 239)

Malcolm Byrne

Question:

170. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the first call under the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund. [17291/26]

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175. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to develop infrastructure to facilitate the building of more houses in the constituency of Sligo Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17286/26]

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John Connolly

Question:

203. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applications for funding received under call 1 of the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund; the number of local authorities that have made applications; the total cost of accumulated applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17528/26]

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Conor Sheehan

Question:

239. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the work of the Housing Activation Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17105/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy James Browne)

The Housing Activation Office (HAO) continues its work to drive the coordination and acceleration of critical infrastructure required to unlock housing development on sites nationwide. The office is focused on identifying and resolving infrastructure constraints, aligning investment across agencies and progressing infrastructure projects that will unlock housing lands and enable homes to be delivered.

The HAO brings together 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.

The office is maintaining structured engagement with various stakeholders, including all 31 local authorities, the LDA, infrastructure providers and key delivery partners. The Housing Activation Delivery Group and the Housing Activation Industry Group continue to meet on a quarterly basis to strengthen coordination and ensure that momentum across infrastructure and housing delivery is maintained.

On 21 January 2026, the Government launched a new multiannual €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund (HIIF) to support direct investment in housing enabling infrastructure. The fund is managed by the Housing Activation Office in my Department.

The core objective of the HIIF is to unblock infrastructure constraints and activate lands that are identified for housing development. By investing directly in transport, water, electricity and other enabling infrastructure, the fund will ensure that land is properly serviced and ready to deliver homes.

Call 1 of the HIIF opened for applications from local authorities and the Land development Agency (LDA) on 21 January 2026 and closed on Friday last, 27 February 2026. Applications have been received from 30 local Authorities and from the LDA. The HAO team are actively reviewing the applications against the scheme criteria and will confirm the number of valid applications received once this review is completed. Final funding decisions and recommendations will be brought forward in accordance with the governance arrangements for the Fund.

Details of the HIIF Call 1 can be found on my Departments website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/housing-infrastructure-investment-fund-call-1-scheme-outline/