Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2026
124. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline his proposals and associated targets to deliver age friendly housing in counties Cavan and Monaghan. [69323/26]
View answer165. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures being considered to make it easier for older people to adapt existing homes and remain living independently within their communities. [66730/26]
View answer200. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken to ensure local authorities identify suitable sites for age-friendly housing developments within existing communities. [66729/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 124, 165 and 200 together.
The Government is committed to increasing housing available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence and to supporting rightsizing on a voluntary basis. Delivering Homes, Building Communities includes measures to increase delivery of social housing for older people, increase delivery of more suitable homes and choice for older people in private housing, and increase choice to support voluntary rightsizing.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities also includes a commitment to develop an action plan on delivering housing for older people and this plan is currently under preparation and it is expected it will be completed in the coming months.
Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities each local authority, including Cavan and Monaghan, will prepare a Housing Delivery Action Plan (HDAP) setting out their planned delivery of social and affordable housing to 2030 in line with targets set by my Department to ensure the 72,000 social homes will be delivered by 2030. In preparing their HDAP, each local authority will reflect local need to ensure the right mix of homes to respond to need and priorities, including housing for older people.
It should be noted that existing HDAPs run to the end of 2026 and it is expected that new HDAPs, which will run to 2030, will be in place by Q4 2026. Each local authority's current HDAP is published on their individual websites.
My Department supports the delivery of social housing for older people across a range of funding programmes including the Social Housing Capital Investment Programme (SHCIP), Capital Advance Leasing Facility (CALF) and the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS).
In cases where a local authority or Approved Housing Body (AHB) intends to acquire sites, they can apply to the Land Acquisition Fund (LAF) which was established to fund the acquisition of developable land to underpin the delivery of housing out to 2030. My Department has also supported the development of the DHLGH ASSIST GIS Mapping tool, which helps local authorities identify suitable locations for building housing suitable for older people.
My Department also 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 Exchequer funding provision for 2026 has been increased by €30 million to a total of €129.5 million with an aim of delivering over 17,000 grants when combined with the local authority contribution. When including the local authority contribution, it will provide for a total of over €152 million for the scheme.
Additionally, my Department provides funding on an annual basis under the Disabled Persons Grants (DPGs) scheme to local authorities for adaptations and extensions to their existing social housing stock to meet the needs of local authority tenants. The scheme applies to works that are necessary to address the needs of older people or disabled people.
In July of this year, the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, Nos. 1-7, were introduced to facilitate the efficient use of residential space through its enhancement, expansion and adaptation at different stages of the life cycle, while also reducing the regulatory burden on both homeowners and planning authorities. This change introduced will create more choice for people who wish to convert their homes into separate living spaces.
Supports for independent living are particularly linked to the health and social care supports which are provided by colleagues in the Department of Health.
