Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
60. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing commencements in County Cork for the first quarter of 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24320/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra80. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homes currently in construction nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24315/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra91. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his assessment of the prospects for housing delivery nationally in the medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24318/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra93. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of planning permissions granted for new homes in 2023; how this compares to 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24319/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra116. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the daily average number of homes that are commencing construction to date in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24316/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraCuirim an ceist seo ar son an Teachta O'Connor. I ask about the number of housing commencements in County Cork for the first quarter of 2024.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 80, 91, 93 and 116 together.
Increased supply is key to meeting our housing need and addressing the challenges in the housing market. At its core, Housing for All seeks to significantly increase the supply of quality affordable homes. The plan comprises a suite of priority measures to transform our housing system, seeking to secure its sustainability into the future and support the delivery of more than 300,000 new homes by 2030. This would see an average build of 33,000 new homes for each year of the plan. In the first two years of the plan, we have exceeded the housing targets we set. The targets have been the floor, not the ceiling.
We see this as a significant year in housing delivery. We have commenced in the past 12 months 50,000 new homes, both public and private. We have secured the level of investment required to support this delivery of those homes. This year we are making record funding available of €5.1 billion, the highest in the history of the State. The Government has introduced a range of measures to ensure balanced delivery of homes for private ownership, social housing and private rental. The Government supports home ownership and first-time buyers are buying homes at a rate not seen since 2006, over 500 first-time buyers buying their homes per week, many of them using the help to buy grant and first homes scheme. We have more than 4,000 affordable homes approved through our local authorities and 5,000 homes will be delivered through the Land Development Agency across the country.
Supply is increasing year-on-year, with a substantial uplift in the amount of new homes delivered since the launch of Housing for All in 2021. The most recent completions data from the Central Statistics Office show more than 29,700 and 32,600 new homes were completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively, the first two full years of Housing for All. New home delivery last year was at its highest level in 15 years, 10% higher than the previous year and 13% higher than the target of 29,000. While housing supply continues to be impacted by external factors, including construction cost inflation, high interest rates, which we hope to see reduce shortly, and challenges in the labour market, the outlook for this year and next is equally promising.
Planning permission was granted for more than 41,000 new homes in 2023, an increase of 21% on the previous year. Some 11,200 permissions were granted in quarter 4 alone, an increase of 47% on the same period in 2022. At the same time, commencement activity increased significantly, with more than 32,800 new homes commenced, the highest annual figure for any calendar year in the past decade. This momentum has continued into 2024, and we are starting 1,000 new homes per week at the moment, which is really significant and up more than 60% on quarter 1 last year.
This robust first quarter activity was followed by an extraordinary surge in April to more than 18,100 housing starts. That is likely in anticipation of the end to the development levy waiver, which we have extended for the rest of the year, and the Uisce Éireann connection charge rebate, which will continue to 1 October. They were measures the Government took to reduce costs and make sure schemes on the cusp of viability could start. My friends opposite railed against that. It is important people know they were opposed to the development levy waiver and the Uisce Éireann connection charge, yet a Private Members' motion was tabled the following week where they wanted to reinstate it. It is interesting to note regarding many of the measures we have brought in to support first-time buyers, like the first homes scheme, the help to buy grant and the vacant property grant, that, even though the main Opposition party's spokesperson on housing has said he would abolish them all, I receive regular parliamentary questions from the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and others looking for me to expand and revise the schemes Sinn Féin says it would abolish. I think its housing spokesperson is in conflict with many of its members, who actually see what is happening and the supports people are using.
I have written to 12 Sinn Féin TDs, including the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, asking them to engage with their party spokesperson and try to get a consistent and coherent position from Sinn Féin. Strangely enough, I did not receive one response.
Of course not, because it was a stunt. We would not honour the letters with a response.
That flows as well, because I wrote to Deputy Ó Broin recently asking him to publish his analysis of the impact of the abolition of the help to buy grant and first home scheme on house building and new housing supply.
Mazars has published it. The Department of Finance commissioned a report. I will send it to you.
Strangely, Deputies Ó Broin and Doherty decided not to respond in any way to those letters. That is the contrast between what we do and what others say they will do. In the background, other party colleagues-----
Read the Mazars report from the Department of Finance. Read your own Government's report.
Sorry Eoin, I am not talking to you.
I am just trying to be helpful-----
That would be a first.
-----because the Minister seems not to know his own Government's analysis.
The Deputy will have an opportunity in a minute.
The uplift in commencement activity is being mirrored at local level across the country. For example, there were 1,019 new homes commenced in Cork county in quarter 1 2024, the highest for this period since records began more than a decade ago. The national surge in April was also seen in Cork county, with a record figure of 806 commencements in April. While it will take time to see recent commencement activity converted to delivery of new homes, the medium- to long-term outlook is positive. Early forecasts suggest the target of 33,450 new homes for 2024 will be met and exceeded. In the past 12 months, there were 53,000 new housing starts. I will be happy to come back in on any supplementaries on which I can be of assistance to Deputy O'Sullivan.
I thank the Minister for his response. Before coming in, I looked at a few newspaper articles going back to 2023. The hard, raw statistics the Minister quotes are impressive. It is good to see the journey we have gone on. The trend is more impressive. The figure from 2023 is 2,232 homes in Cork, a 16.6% increase on 2022's 1,913 units. In the city in the first 11 months of 2023, there were 1,027 commencement notices, a 25% increase on 2022's figure of 822.
Deputy O'Connor and I would like to reiterate our support for the measures the Minister has taken, including the exemption of services charges, the development contribution levy, first home scheme and help to buy scheme. The greatest endorsement of the work he has done is that in the early months and years of the Government, opposition councillors were turning up to the sod-turning and ribbon-cutting of developments in Cork but obviously it became politically sensitive for them because they do not turn up anymore, such is the extent of the building going on in Cork city and county.
We know there is a lot more to do. There are people who want to buy their own home and are being helped by the Government schemes but we need to further ramp up supply. I thank Deputies O'Sullivan and O'Connor and other Government colleagues for their support for the delivery of housing. That is in stark contrast to the main Opposition party, whose members are serial objectors to new housing developments across the country. In this city and county alone, Sinn Féin has opposed more than 6,000 new homes, social and affordable or private. That is something people will be able to judge. They will see delivery and commitment to house building, while on the other side are those who want to stall that progress.
A total of 3,109 new homes were completed last year in Cork, which is significantly up on the previous year. Given the commencement figures that went through as well, and the delivery of affordable homes, Cork county and city councils need to be commended on the work they have done in delivering affordable homes for purchase and rent through the affordable housing fund. To be fair, they have really led by example in that regard.
The majority of Deputies from Cork city and county would attest to that. To be fair, the councils have been trailblazers in the delivery of units. I commend them on the work they are doing and I wish them continued success in the years ahead. It is, however, incumbent on me to reiterate to the Minister that while many of the things we have said are positive, be it the exemptions for services, the development contribution and so on, the difference between the Government parties and the Opposition parties is not registering with some people, although the Minister has spoken about it eloquently here again today.
I grew up in a social house in Little Island back in the 1980s and 1990s. People's ability to buy their own social home is a fundamental part of what we are offering in government, have done in the past, and hopefully will continue to do in the future. It has not registered with people at home that the main Opposition parties do not offer that potential for people into the future. My message to the Minister is to just keep doing what he is doing. I reiterate that people need to see the difference between Government parties and the main Opposition parties going into the general election.
Deputy Stanton would also like to comment.
I support my colleague and the Minister on the great work going on. The Minister came to Midleton a little while ago and told us of the local infrastructure housing activation fund, LIHAF. That is now complete and thousands of houses will be built on that particular site in Water-rock, which is fantastic. It is really good.
There are two small issues I will bring to the Minister's attention to get his reaction to them. The first concerns the road infrastructure in east Cork, which is not up to standard. The problem we have now is that with all the fantastic building going on all over the place with houses, thanks to the Minister, his Department and the Government as a whole, the road infrastructure is creaking. I brought up with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, in the House yesterday the need to upgrade the roads. No constraints are being put on the building because of the road infrastructure.
The second issue is high density housing with no green areas. This is causing concern. As the former Minister of State in the Department of Justice with responsibility for youth justice I am concerned about where young people are going to play. I ask the Minister to make sure there are green areas and play areas. In Midleton we are trying to find space for an athletics track but cannot. We have thousands of young people coming in, which is great to see, but we need to keep an eye on that as well so there is infrastructure and playing fields for them in order that they do not get into bother.
I have some facts here that will spoil the Minister's earlier rendition. Cork County Council will probably not reach its target figures until 2026. I will give some actual facts. It was five short in 2022 and it was 161 short in 2023. Even though the Government's own targets are so low that they will not help solve the housing crisis, the council cannot even meet its targets. We have a situation in Cork City Council where more people are coming on the housing list than houses are being supplied. I am no genius at maths but I do know that if not enough houses are built to house the people coming onto the list then the question arises of how the Government will ever clear the backlog already there. It is simple mathematics. The Minister is not reaching the targets and the targets are too low.
The next time the Minister quotes objections, he must remember it is where we have objected when the Government tried to sell public land privately. He should go back to his party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, and ask him about his brother Seán and other Fianna Fáil councillors who objected to social housing in Cork. I was on the council when they did this. The next time the Minister wants to talk about Sinn Féin, he must make sure to mention the Fianna Fáil objectors all around the country who have objected to planning.
My next point concerns the reason Cork County Council can----
Teachta, le do thoil
-----there is a whole issue of they will not let people on the homeless list in emergency accommodation.
The Minister has to be congratulated for the progress to date in a very difficult situation between economic factors, Covid, Brexit and all the things that have impeded progress not only on housing but on everything else as well. We welcome the success to date.
Everyone will agree that we now need a push forward. We spoke about this recently. We need to push forward and it is possible to do it now. When one gets to a certain stage of delivery it is easier than when one is low down in the production rate. I ask that consideration be given to new possibilities to accelerate delivery in respect of social housing and first-time buyers specifically in an effort to overhaul the targets ahead.
I thank the Government Deputies for their comments. I put it to Deputy Gould that if there were medals awarded for objectors, Sinn Féin would be gold medalists as objectors right the way across the country.
That is absolutely not true. What did Fianna Fáil do with the Clonburris and the SDZ for 8,500 homes but no-----
Teachta Ó Broin-----
I think we should let Eoin come into the Chamber on his own so he can just talk to himself and get all this rage and anger out of his system.
The Minister turned a sod in Clonburris. Then what did the Government do? Just build the homes.
Will the Deputy talk through the-----
The Minister has no answer.
Teachta, le do thoil-----
I will respond to Deputy Stanton first. Water-rock in Midleton is a magnificent development. The previous Minister deserves a lot of credit for that too with regard to the LIHAF funding. We were also able to use the affordable housing fund to deliver homes there. It is a magnificent development. It shows that Government schemes working together can actually help to drive not just social and affordable homes but also the private delivery within those estates. That is mixed tenure, which we all want. I was in Kilkenny yesterday where there are two magnificent developments with mixed tenure. The first is cost rental. The Minister of State will know about that.
Le do thoil-----
They got an extra 30 seconds so perhaps I could just be able to answer this. We see those mixed tenure developments across the country. On the road infrastructure issue, I will raise this with the Minister for Transport. It is important that infrastructure comes up. I might come back in if I have a supplementary response with regard to sustainable compact growth guidelines to be published, which will help in that space.
61. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant and derelict properties recorded in each local authority area for each respective year from 2019 to 2023 inclusive, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24398/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra70. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports and incentives he has put in place to encourage vacant properties across the State to be brought back into use; if he is satisfied with the progress being made in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24386/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra82. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the recommendations outlined in a recent report (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23626/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra89. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of grants under the vacant and derelict homes scheme that were approved in the State in the first quarter of this year; the number that were in Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23748/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra190. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will examine ways to streamline the application and drawdown of Croí Cónaithe grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24410/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to give the Minister of State an opportunity to outline the number of vacant and derelict properties that are recorded in each local authority, from 2019 to 2023, in tabular form. I am interested in whether the number of vacant and derelict properties is being recorded. Is there feedback coming to the Department on that? I also want to find out what we are doing with that information.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 70 , 82, 89 and 190 together.
I thank the Deputy. Tackling vacancy is a key priority for this Government and pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make effective use of our existing housing stock. The Vacant Homes Action Plan 2023-2026, which was published in January 2023, builds on pathway 4 of Housing for All. It sets out the various actions that were to be pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes.
I recently published an update on the action plan a year on, which shows the significant progress that has been made and this is available on my Department's website. The action plan outlines the various measures of vacancy, including census data and GeoDirectory vacancy data. While varying levels of vacancy are indicated in the different data sources, the overall trend across all the measures is downwards and vacancy levels are reducing.
The vacant property refurbishment grant introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe towns fund is a key measure in returning vacant and derelict properties into use. A grant of up to €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties into a home or rental property with a top-up grant of €20,000 available for derelict properties. The grant is making a real impact in addressing vacancy and is making the purchase and refurbishment of these properties a more affordable option for those seeking to purchase their own home. More than 8,000 grant applications have been received to date with over 4,900 approved. Draw down of grants commenced at the end of 2023 as works started to be completed and this has steadily increased with 364 grants now paid. I expect this to significantly increase over 2024 as more refurbishment works are completed. My Department publishes data on applications for the grants on its website on a quarterly basis, which includes breakdowns by local authority.
I will arrange for the relevant web link to be circulated with the official record.
On Deputy Stanton's constituency, we have 151 approvals for Cork city and 404 for Cork county. An impressive 860 applications have now been received in total from the people of Cork.
When the Croí Cónaithe towns fund was launched, a commitment was made to undertake a comprehensive review of the schemes under it, including the vacant property refurbishment grant scheme, by mid-2024. That review is ongoing and will include an analysis of the application and grant draw-down process. I understand it is on track to be completed by mid-2024, and I expect to be able to make recommendations to the Government in due course with regard to the continuation of the grant and any changes merited.
Another key vacancy measure for local authorities is the CPO activation programme, which provides for a proactive approach by local authorities to identifying vacant properties and engaging with the property owners to return them to residential use. This may include the use of compulsory purchase powers where necessary.
Tackling vacancy under that programme is also supported through the €150 million urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. The fund supports local authorities in acquiring vacant or derelict properties for reuse and sale, using compulsory purchase powers where necessary. This is having a genuine impact, with 1,224 vacant and derelict properties in URDF areas identified and approved under the scheme. We had a great announcement on the scheme this week. The estimated yield from the properties is 5,406 homes. The fund will be replenished from the proceeds received from the sale or reuse of a site, allowing the local authority to establish a rolling programme to tackle vacancy.
I welcome the publication of the Dublin Simon Community report on over-the-shop-type spaces as it brings further attention to this important topic. In April, my Department published a revised edition of the manual Bringing Back Homes, which provides guidance on the refurbishment of many property types, including over-the-shop-type spaces. In addition, planning regulations that exempt owners of certain vacant commercial premises, including over-the-shop-type spaces, from acquiring planning permission to change those premises to residential status have been extended until 2025.
The most efficient home to deliver is one that already exists. The commitment the Government has made to addressing vacancy and dereliction and the actions we have taken will continue to play a vital role in revitalising local communities.
I thank the Minister of State for his response and acknowledge the good work in this area. I agree with him that there is great potential to provide homes for people in buildings that already exist, which is the easiest approach.
Is there a register of vacant and derelict properties in each local authority? If so, are they publicly available? Does the Department have access to the registers? Are vacant homes officers now active in each local authority area? If so, are they working exclusively on vacant homes?
With regard to Cork County Council, which oversees the biggest county in the country, does the Minister of State accept that Cork needs more vacant homes officers than counties that are far smaller to cover the huge area involved?
Could the Minister of State clarify the position on shops? In many of our towns, former shops have been boarded up and locked up. What action is being taken to bring them back into use as residences?
I thank the Deputy for his question and his support for the ongoing efforts to tackle vacancy and dereliction in his constituency. On his question on vacant homes officers, all 31 local authorities now have a full-time vacancy officer in place, fulfilling one of the Housing for All commitments. Each local authority receives an annual fund of up to €60,000 to support the work of the vacant homes officers. That was an important step forward in addressing each of the issues within local authorities.
A derelict and vacant sites register is in the ownership of each local authority. I am sure that if the Deputy engages with the director of services or county manager in each local authority, he will see that he or she manages the sites at local level, not through the Department.
With regard to the Croí Cónaithe towns fund and the revised manual related to supports available to property owners, there has been substantial work on the range of schemes and supports now in place. These include the vacant property refurbishment grant, the repair-and-lease scheme, the living city initiative, the historic buildings grant scheme, the SEAI supports, thatch grants and planning exemptions. There are so many schemes now available that it can be difficult for some owners to activate one at times.
The Minister of State commented that local authorities have access to a register of vacant and derelict properties. Is it being made available to his Department? In other words, is the Department being copied with the information regularly? I understand there is an ongoing process. If the Department is being copied, will the Minister of State make the information available to Deputies? How many vacant properties have been identified? My guess is that very many more could be identified and put on registers. I am told there are 100 vacant properties in Youghal alone. I am anxious to ensure that they are brought back into use.
County Cork needs more than one vacant homes officer. It needs perhaps three, four or five people working on the problem full-time, such is its scale.
What kind of liaison is there between the Department, local authorities and the Revenue Commissioners regarding the tax on vacant properties to ensure that those properties are identified and tax is collected?
The Minister of State mentioned that the tackling of vacancy and dereliction is a priority or something the Department was going to address. Let me mention some of the figures that came out recently. There are 1,913 buildings on the derelict sites register, and there is €20 million outstanding in uncollected levies, almost €5 million of which relates to Cork. Local authorities are not doing their job. The Minister of State and his Department, led by the Minister, are not doing their job to ensure local authorities put derelict buildings on the derelict sites register and then impose a levy on them.
The Minister of State touched on CPOs. Only 82 properties were subject to a CPO last year. Thirteen local authorities have had no levy. These are not my figures; these are the actual figures.
I thank the Deputies. On Deputy Stanton's question on Youghal, my Department and the local authority are engaging to take action. We hope to have something back to the local authority in that regard.
On the derelict sites register, local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operations in their functional areas. As of December 2023, there were 1,913 properties on the register nationally. We need to continue to have vacant and derelict sites registered within each local authority area.
On the important work done by vacant homes officers, it is important that the Department continues to engage with local authorities on resourcing needs to support the activation of vacant and derelict properties. That is really important. The €150 million URDF announced this week will reactivate many properties that are currently vacant or derelict. It is seen as another lever the Government is using to tackle the scourge in towns and cities.
62. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the operation of the first home scheme to date in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24325/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraWill the Minister report on the operation of the first home scheme to date in 2024 and make a statement on the matter?
I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. The first home scheme is a radical initiative that the Government introduced to bridge the gap in finance for those with mortgage approval and a deposit but who are still short in purchasing a new home. The State is stepping in and assisting them. The average equity we are providing across the country is €66,000, so it is a significant amount.
If we take that together with the help to buy grant, the average amount available to first-time buyers is approximately €100,000. Many people on middle-income salaries of €40,000, €50,000 or €60,000 who felt they would be unable to buy a house can now do so with the help of these schemes.
Last year, more than 4,000 individuals and couples were approved under the first home scheme. That is 4,000 households. Some 75% of those approvals have issued in Dublin, Cork, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. More than 800 were approved in quarter 1 of this year alone, which is a 40% increase on the same three-month period of last year. It shows that people want this support and are using it. This evening, we are holding another public meeting about the assistance being provided by the Government to first-time buyers. Everyone knows where the main Opposition party stands on these assistances. It would abolish all those schemes.
I welcome the increased demand for the first home scheme. It is a key measure. I meet people who have mortgage approval and are not sure about the help to buy grant. I tell them they are eligible to get €30,000 of their own tax back for their deposit. We can now provide an equity stake that is not a second mortgage and attracts no interest from year zero to year 6. People can buy it at any stage. That is a game-changer for a significant number of families and that is why we intend to invest a further €40 million this year, which will be matched by the three partner banks. A further €80 million will be going into the first home scheme.
I welcome the Deputy’s support. As he knows, we expanded the scheme to one-off self-builds, which is important in counties such as the Deputy’s county of Cork.
I hate to sound like a broken record but a lot of what I am going to say was said during the debate on the previous question. The more the Minister’s critics decry the interventions he is making, the more it proves he is going in the right direction. We have spoken previously about the relevant figures. When he came into office, there had been a decade of undersupply. We did not build enough houses for many years. The numbers are now growing steadily. The one fundamental thing that the first home scheme provides for people is choice. That choice was not available to many people before the launch of this scheme. That is the fundamental thing the scheme does. Instead of people scraping together 90% or 85% of a mortgage, they can achieve that with perhaps 70% of the amount that is required.
It is imperative to reiterate that the scheme is there and up and running. More people are becoming aware of it and the uptake is growing. At our recent Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis, the Minister reiterated his intention, if he were to remain in office after the next election, to retain the scheme. Perhaps he would speak to that.
I thank the Deputy. The scheme is working. We have to acknowledge that schemes such as this one need to be supported because they help people to buy a home. The Deputy and my Government colleagues and I support homeownership. We want to help people who are working hard to own a home. That is why I would like the scheme to continue. It is working for people.
The take-up rate has increased by 40%, year on year, as I said. Interestingly, we are also using the scheme to help people who are purchasing a home from their landlord. It is the first time we have used this scheme for second-hand properties when a notice to quit is issued and the tenants are short of finance. The first home scheme is helping in such circumstances. We have had some 160 applications specifically for that scenario to allow people who are renting to buy the home they are in. There have also been 60 applications for self-builds. For new builds, there are significant increases for people. As I said, between the first home scheme and the help-to-buy grant, an average of €100,000 in support is available. People who are short of the money required can get these supports to help to buy a home.
I concur with the Minister. Many people in the industry would say that without the likes of the first home scheme and all the other initiatives we have spoken about, homes would be unaffordable for a certain cohort. I support the scheme and am fully with the Minister.
Perhaps he could speak to his intention to keep the scheme going if the current Government is re-elected and if he remains in office for the coming years. Perhaps he would speak to his intentions, going forward.
I reiterate that the scheme provides choice for people. We get knocked back an awful lot, as we saw earlier this morning, but when schemes are working, the more the Minister’s opponents decry what he is doing, the more success he is having.
I raised a matter with the Taoiseach yesterday in respect of equity. I spoke to a gentleman who came to see me and who is looking to buy a house. He has good savings and a full-time job. He has two kids. He is separated and trying to put a roof over his head. He is trying to use the affordable housing scheme and the shared equity scheme. I am seeking clarity. What I have been told is that the maximum available equity is €100,000 or 22.5%. That is what Cork County Council has told me in respect of the affordable home schemes in Whitechurch and White’s Cross. I would love to help this person. The Minister and I can disagree on policy and other matters but at the end of the day, this is a man with two kids who is living with his parents. My question is about equity. The legislation states that the maximum equity available is 40%. We are being told that the Department has sent out a circular or has instructed local authorities that the maximum is €100,000 or, in some cases I am dealing with, 22.5%. I am looking for clarity on that point.
I acknowledge the progress the Minister is making. There is a multiplicity of schemes, some of which are more helpful than others. Would it be possible to look at the schemes in their totality with a view to discontinuing some and adding more of an incentive to other schemes that might have a bigger impact?
Bhí mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Noonan, ag labhairt liom faoi na daoine atá sa Ghailearaí ó Ghaelscoil Osraí i gContae Chill Chainnigh. Cuirim fáilte rompu go léir go dtí Teach Laighean inniu.
I ask Deputy Gould to give the details regarding the case he outlined and we will look at it for him. I am happy to help. The equity amount under the affordable housing fund is €100,000 for affordable purchase and €150,000 for cost rental. I would need to see the details of the case in question.
To respond to Deputy O’Sullivan, it is important we look forward, particularly in respect of the first home scheme and other supports. This Government is committed to extending the scheme further and that would be my intention if I were in government following the next election. It is helping so many people. We brought it in on a three-year basis. As the Deputy knows, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, and the Government have approved the extension of the help-to-buy grant to the end of 2025. Whenever campaigning starts for the general election, there will be a clear contrast because this Government is offering first-time buyer supports and our colleagues opposite would abolish them. It is important that people see that fundamental difference.
63. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the Government is considering revising the defective block redress scheme given the issues that are emerging with the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24413/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra66. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, given recent committee meetings, the Government is considering revisiting and altering its defective block redress scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24401/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy colleague, Deputy Doherty, and I submitted a number of questions. I am representing us both, with the assistance and co-operation of the House. For three weeks, the finance and housing committees probed the enhanced defective concrete block scheme. It is clear there are gaping holes in the scheme both in its accessibility for applicants and the science that underpins it. What is the Government’s response? What changes will it make?
Cuirim fáilte roimh na daltaí agus na múinteoirí ó Ghaelscoil Osraí, Contae Chill Chainnigh.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 66 together.
As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 on 22 June 2023. It contains the enhanced grant scheme and adopted the related regulations on 29 June 2023.
The enhanced grant scheme was legislated for following extensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders. At the time of the scheme launch, the Minister established an implementation steering group composed of officials from the relevant local authorities, our Department, the Housing Agency and the homeowner's liaison officer. The group has met several times in recent months and will keep the operation of the regulations and guidelines under review.
In addition, a subgroup of this group met in January and April of this year focusing on the financial aspects of the scheme and following these meetings, our Department has issued updated guidance to local authorities that will enable eligible applicants to have earlier access to grant funding for certain eligible works.
It should be noted that arising from the Government's decision of 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, was tasked with delivering a programme of work to address a number of technical items. The NSAI is Ireland's official standards body and is an autonomous body under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I understand it is working on drafting interim guidance that will take the form of an amendment to IS 465 to enhance the sampling and testing protocols within the standard, taking account of all available findings to date, including the initial research output relating to internal sulphate attack. The NSAI has confirmed the amendment will serve as a step forward in the review and development process of IS 465, noting that full evaluation of IS 465 continues to be reliant on the delivery of the final outputs of key research projects.
Following the publication of any revised standard produced by the NSAI, the Act mandates that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage shall commence a review of the operation of the Act within three months of the completion of the review of the standard. The Act also allows for the grant rates and overall grant scheme cap to be reviewed on an annual basis and this will, if deemed appropriate, be considered in due course. The Department recently received an updated cost report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland which will inform this ongoing process. Furthermore, section 51 of the Act mandates a review of the operation of the Act to take place within three years of the Act's commencement, which is before July 2026.
I do not know whether the Minister of State has had a chance to review the transcript of the committee meetings but if he did, he would been disturbed at what emerged. It is very clear, and the testimony from Engineers Ireland was very concerning, that IS 465, which is the standard that underpins a multibillion-euro redress scheme, the biggest redress scheme in the history of the State, is not fit for purpose.
We have a situation where the engineers making recommendations on behalf of homeowners, these engineers having been trained in the standard and affiliated to Engineers Ireland, are being overruled by engineers in the Housing Agency on what to do to remediate homes. The scheme is based on a desktop study. It is not based on actual peer-researched science. This science is emerging that the cause is not mica but pyrrhotite and internal sulphate attack. This means a very different remediation approach is needed. It is taking too long for the Government to respond to this reality and homeowners have no confidence.
On the NSAI review of IS 465, the ongoing work is autonomous. An interagency defective concrete block technical matters steering group was established to inform and guide the NSAI review of a number of relevant standards, including IS 465, and the impact, if any, on foundations and the effect, if any, on full cavity-fill insulation on homes susceptible to defective block work. This work has been detailed and the NSAI has been very strong in its focus. The NSAI is Ireland's official standards body and it is autonomous under the aegis of the Minister for Enterprise, trade and Employment.
Another major issue is that the scheme is a grant scheme. For the second time, it is a grant scheme and not a redress scheme, which is what was provided for the more than 3,000 families in Dublin and north Leinster who were the victims of pyrite. From the committee meetings and the public meetings in Donegal and Mayo, which were attended by more than 2,000 people in total in Donegal and by 500 or 600 people in Mayo, it is clear that the scheme is not accessible to most families. I am hearing of quotes where the gap is between €60,000 and €120,000 or €230,000. How do people find this type of finance when they are in their late 50s, 60s or 70s, as a very large percentage of these people are? The scheme cannot work for people. They could be living in houses that are literally falling apart but they cannot access the scheme. If people can access tens of thousands of euro, the scheme can work for them but what if they cannot? It is desperately cruel. The evidence is overwhelming now. The science is based on a desktop study and nobody believes in it. The scheme cannot be accessed by most families. Surely the Department needs to radically review it. We argue that a 100% redress scheme is required and not a grant scheme.
There is rigour and detailed scientific analysis attached to the process adopted by the NSAI. As I stated, the review mechanism was put in place within a year of the Act and the process is ongoing. There is also a process for a three-year review. Deputy Mac Lochlainn is correct that it is a grant scheme but it is very much enhanced from the previous 2020 grant scheme, with a 100% grant, subject to an overall maximum of €420,000.
It is not 100%. The Minister of State should not say that. It is deeply offensive to families.
That is what it is. There is a revised application process that removes the financial barrier to scheme entry. All of these are in place. There is provision for alternative accommodation costs. A Government guarantee is provided with regard to remediation works, other than the full demolition and rebuild, through eligibility for a second grant, if required, for a period of up to 40 years. It is a strong scheme and the review mechanism is in place.
64. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the expert group on Traveller accommodation. [24288/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraWill the Minister update the House on the implementation of the recommendations of the expert group on Traveller accommodation?
The Traveller accommodation expert review report, which is intended to improve the effectiveness of the arrangements for providing accommodation for members of the Traveller community, has 32 recommendations across four categories. These are aimed at addressing research deficiencies, including how information is gathered and used; removing any potential delay and obstacle in the planning system in terms of delivery; increasing resources and delivery capacity; and strengthening governance arrangements. The programme board, established on foot of the Traveller accommodation expert review report, is making real progress in delivering on implementation of the recommendations in the report. To date, ten of the recommendations have been completed, with active progress under way on a further 17 recommendations.
The changes to the approach to funding implemented by the Department have led to full spending of the Traveller-specific accommodation budget for the past four years, from 2020 to 2023, resulting in cumulative capital investment of more than €80 million over this four-year period. This capital investment is delivering outcomes for Travellers through the delivery of new halting site bays, new group housing schemes and refurbished accommodation, making significant improvements in accommodation for Traveller families. The programme board continues to expedite the range of recommendations, and progress reports on implementation of the recommendations are published on the Department's website.
I thank the Minister of State. In my constituency there is a major development of the Spring Lane halting site. We have made a number of observations and Cork City Council has taken a lot of them on board. We have done a lot of work with the Traveller community on this site and with the broader community because we want the development to work. We particularly want it to work for the residents who live there because for decades their treatment has been shocking. We think the site needs to be managed and maintained. I am hopeful about it, given the work Cork City Council is doing, and I know it has been to the Department and a number of committees outlining it.
There is also the issue of general Traveller accommodation. The way the Traveller community has been treated in the State has been shocking. They have been denied human rights through a lack of housing. In my constituency the number of Travellers in emergency accommodation is phenomenal.
I disagree with Deputy Gould's statement on how the Department is dealing with the Traveller community.
I am pleased to report full expenditure of over €36 million in total by local authorities relating to Traveller-specific accommodation was achieved in 2023. I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Irish Traveller Movement, with Bernard Joyce and his colleagues. We are continuing to provide support in whatever capacity we can and we will continue to do that throughout this year and next. We will look to continue that investment in respect of Traveller-specific accommodation and provide support through the Housing for All fund.
