Written Answers Nos. 265-280
265. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on Government spending on the long-term housing scheme from the start of scheme to now; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52957/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Housing Current Expenditure Programme (SHCEP) supports the delivery of social housing by providing financial support to local authorities for the leasing of houses and apartments.
Details of state expenditure on the Social Housing Leasing Programme from 2015 up to the end of Q1 2025 can be found on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/overall-social-and-affordable-housing-provision/
Long Term Leasing includes LA direct leasing, Enhanced leasing, and AHB private leasing. Data for Q2 2025 is currently being compiled and will be available in the coming weeks.
266. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of the legislation he intends to bring forward during the current Dáil session. [52965/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government Legislation Programme for the Autumn 2025 Session was published on 17 September. It is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-the-taoiseach/publications/government-legislation-programme-autumn-2025/
As set out in the Legislation Programme, my Department has four priority Bills for publication, namely:
• Residential Tenancies (Amendment)(No.2) Bill 2025, to provide from 1 March 2026, reforms to rent regulation and tenancy protections in respect of new tenancies (i.e. first time tenancy between parties) created on/after that date. To provide for enhancements to the implementation and enforcement of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 and outcomes thereunder.
• Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill 2025, to put in place a statutory scheme to establish supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013.
• Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024, to provide amendments and additions to the Housing Acts in respect of social housing eligibility, specifically, making statutory arrangements for residency requirements; amendments to the Building Control Acts;
• Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 to provide amendments to the Remediation of Dwellings damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 to provide for maximum grant payable under the Scheme and the associated square metre grant rates.
In addition, my Department has four priority Bills for drafting, namely:
• Planning and Development (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2025, to provide for certain technical amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2024 arising from its commencement and transition from the Planning and Development Act 2000
• Planning and Development (Short Term Letting) Amendment Bill, to amend sections 7 and 8 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 to decouple rent pressure zones from planning provisions for Short Term Lettings
• Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Bill, to transpose the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
• Housing Finance Agency (Amendment) Bill 2025, to increase the Statutory Borrowing Limit (SBL) of the Housing Finance Agency from €12bn to €13.5bn so that it can continue to fund social and affordable housing until H1 2026.
267. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the annual expenditure on LIHAF; the total number of homes in each year activated via this measure; the total number of discounted homes delivered each year; and the average value of the discount, in tabular form. [52967/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraA total of 24 projects have progressed or are progressing under the LIHAF scheme. The enabling infrastructure has been completed on 16 projects and at the end Quarter 2 2025, €127m in Exchequer grant funding had been awarded under the scheme.
With regard to housing delivery, the 24 LIHAF projects that have progressed or are progressing have committed to deliver circa 16,150 housing units. Local Authorities indicate that a further 5,000 units could arise on the LIHAF sites. In addition, it is estimated that lands outside of the LIHAF sites that benefit from the enabling infrastructure could deliver a further 15,000 homes over time.
At the end of Quarter 2 2025, 8,737 housing units were delivered under the programme on LIHAF sites. Of these, 2,813 units were delivered with cost reduction measures.
The cost reduction measures are delivered in a number of ways. On privately owned sites, a portion of the associated housing is made available to the public for purchase at a reduced cost compared to the open market selling price. For LIHAF Projects on State owned lands, the Local Authority delivers the associated housing with a cost reduction through a range of Affordable and Social Housing schemes.
Due to the variety of delivery arrangements and cost reduction and affordability mechanisms applied across different projects, it is not possible for my Department to report on the average value of the cost-reduced discounts across the scheme as a whole. However, details of the cost reductions associated with the 2,813 homes delivered with cost reduction measures are set out in the following tables.
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025* |
TOTAL |
|
LIHAF Exchequer Expenditure |
€1,603,722 |
€6,887,626 |
€22,279,244 |
€29,243,347 |
€16,105,136 |
€17,027,829 |
€20,144,441 |
€11,926,604 |
€2,008,316 |
€127,226,265 |
|
LIHAF Associated Housing delivery |
0 |
679 |
1,159 |
816 |
984 |
1,674 |
1,450 |
1,736 |
239 |
8,737 |
|
Units with LIHAF cost reductions or affordable element applied to OMP** |
0 |
0 |
779 |
467 |
259 |
168 |
421 |
700 |
19 |
2,813 |
*Figures are representative of Q1 and Q2 2025 only
**OMP = Open Market Price
|
LIHAF project |
LIHAF Cost Reductions / Affordable Measure |
|
Glanmire, Cork City |
Cost reductions of €20,000 from the OMP |
|
Donabate, Fingal |
Cost reductions €5,500 from the OMP |
|
Oldtown Mooretown, Fingal |
Cost reductions of €2,500 from the OMP, also 30 2-bed units with an OMP of €290,000 or less |
|
Mungret, Limerick |
Cost reductions of between €6,083.97 for a 2 bedroom unit and €9,328.76 for a three bedroom unit from the OMV |
|
Adamstown, South Dublin |
Units delivered at a sub €300,000 and €320,000 price range |
|
Baldoyle, Fingal |
Cost reductions of €2,800 from the OMP |
|
Midleton Water-Rock, Cork County |
Cost reductions of €20,000 from the OMP |
268. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any of the properties bought by the Housing Agency under the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme have been sold on to approved housing boards and have been converted to cost-rental tenancies. [52968/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2023 for tenants in private rental homes who are not in receipt of social housing supports but are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination due to an intention to sell the property. The Local Authority conducts the initial assessment for eligibility of the tenant for this scheme and refers potential cases to the Housing Agency, which is responsible for administering and managing the scheme on behalf of my Department.
The intention is to transition these homes to the standard Cost Rental model over time. Changes were necessary to the Affordable Housing Act 2021 to facilitate these properties moving to the Cost Rental sector. These changes were made last year via the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 and ensure that the necessary legal framework is now in place. My Department is now working with the Housing Agency on this transition.
269. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will consider removing the two-year tenancy rule on tenant in situ applications. [53009/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraRevisions to the Second Hand Acquisitions Programme will be considered in the context of the roll-out of next year's programme, with any revisions communicated to local authorities with their respective 2026 budget allocations early next year.
The acquisition of second hand homes as a tenancy sustainment measure is a policy tool available to local authorities as a last resort, when all other options have been exhausted, to prevent HAP and RAS supported households from falling into homelessness. Importantly, the 'two year eligibility criterion' applying to tenant in situ acquisitions applies to the property rather than an individual tenancy. Accordingly, regardless of the duration of an individual tenancy, an acquisition may be eligible under the Second Hand Acquisitions Programme where the property in question has been rented to social housing supported tenants for a continuous period of at least two years.
My Department continues to engage with local authorities on challenges emerging to ensure tenant in situ acquisitions remain an option in 2025 where other solutions cannot be found.
There is not a two year tenancy rule in place currently in respect of tenant in situ acquisitions.
270. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the prohibitions that exist preventing local authorities selling Part V, social housing acquisitions and other social homes purchased from the private market under the tenant purchase scheme; and to list each prohibition and provide a summary of its rationale. [53057/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra310. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for expansion of the current tenant purchase scheme to include Part V agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53696/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 310 together.
The Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. The scheme is underpinned by the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015, as amended.
The Regulations provide for a number of specified classes of houses to be excluded from sale, including those provided to local authorities under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). The Part V provisions seek to promote social integration and secure mixed tenure, sustainable communities. Accordingly, Part V properties are excluded from the scheme to ensure the original policy goals of the legislation are not eroded over time and the properties remain available for people in need of social housing support.
The Act and Regulations which underpin the scheme do not specifically exclude social housing acquisitions and other social homes purchased from the private market from being sold under the scheme. That said, local authorities may within the rules of the scheme, exclude houses or groups of houses in the interest of proper management of the authority’s stock of housing accommodation. This gives local authorities the remit to develop their own policies as to which classes of house may be excluded from sale from the scheme, provided that these policies are consistent with the act and regulations which underpin the scheme.
My Department monitors schemes such as this on an ongoing basis to ensure that they remain effective and sustainable, however, there are no plans to amend this aspect of the scheme at this time.
271. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has calculated the proportion of households by income decile that are priced out of purchasing the average three-bed semi-detached house nationally and in each region, given a website's (details supplied) estimate the average price is €421,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53108/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra272. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has verified the claim by the chairperson of the Land Development Agency that 70% of income earners are priced out of the housing market in terms of both rents and house prices; and if he will publish his Department's own affordability analysis. [53109/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra273. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current ratio of average house price to average disposable household income in each county; the comparable figures in 2015 and 2020; and his Department's assessment of trends in affordability. [53110/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 271 to 273, inclusive, together.
My Department does not collect nor analyse income data in the manner requested.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is the official, independent and verifiable source of statistics about Ireland's society, economy and environment. The CSO's Residential property Price Index (RPPI) measures changes in average prices actually paid for residential property.
The RPPI is available on a monthly basis on the Central Statistics Office (CSO) website at: data.cso.ie/table/HPM09
The most recent RPPI suggests the increase in prices actually paid for homes has been dampening for some time, with rises moderating from 10.1% in August last year to 7.5% in July. The monthly rate of increase in residential house prices has fallen from 1.2% in July 2024 to 0.8% in July this year. A continued increase in supply will help dampen house price growth further and ease affordability challenges.
First-time buyer (FTB) activity remains robust, with 18,529 purchases by FTBs in the year to end July, up 6% year-on-year and up 41% on the year to July 2020. The latest Banking and Payment Federation report shows mortgage activity, particularly FTB activity, remains robust with more than 122,800 FTB mortgages drawn down in the five years to end Q2 2025, while rolling 12-month drawdowns for FTBs increased almost 6% year-on-year to almost 26,900.
Government is focused on continuing to bring forward measures that will increase the supply of new homes, which is key to meeting need, moderating price increases and address affordability in the market. In this regard, the recently revised National Planning Framework is a major step forward, and will help increase capacity and accelerate home building across the country, while the new Housing Activation Office will work to address barriers to the delivery of infrastructure projects needed to enable housing development.
The new Planning Design Standards for Apartments will allow greater flexibility vis-à-vis the size and mix of apartment types to help increase apartment viability, facilitate increased supply, and address affordability challenges.
A next call for expressions of interest under the Croí Cónaithe Cities scheme has been issued – the scheme will help activate the thousands of planning permissions for apartments in our cities.
Further measures to stimulate development activity will be considered in the context of the new national housing plan, which Government aims to publish in the coming weeks.
274. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of second-hand homes currently available to purchase nationally; and the way in which this compares with the 2015-19 average cited by a website (details supplied); and his Department's strategy to increase second-hand stock availability. [53111/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra275. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his Department's projection of new housing completions for 2025, by local authority; and the way in which these compare with the underlying annual demand identified by the ESRI and the Housing Commission. [53112/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra276. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a three-bed semi-detached home in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Waterford as of Quarter three 2025; the equivalent figure in 2020; and his assessment of the impact of these price increases on first-time buyers. [53113/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra277. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing-market transactions recorded in the past 12 months; and his Department's assessment of whether transaction volumes are consistent with a healthy and functioning housing market. [53114/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra280. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will commit to publishing an annual housing affordability report, benchmarking average house prices, average incomes, mortgage serviceability ratios, and availability of homes by region, to ensure transparency in policy-making. [53117/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 274 to 277, inclusive, and 280 together.
Continuing to increase the supply of new homes is key to meeting need and addressing many of the challenges currently facing the housing market. Increased supply will help moderate price increases, address affordability in the market, and help those aspiring to own their own home to realise this goal.
Supply has increased significantly in recent years. Some 140,000 new homes have been delivered since July 2020, with 92,400 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024 inclusive, exceeding the combined target for the period by 5,400 or so.
The most recent sectoral residential reports suggest that while supply of second-hand home remains constrained, there are tentative signs of recovery with each of the reports showing a year-on-year increase of second-hand homes for sale on their respective platforms.
Official data in respect of all residential dwelling property transactions are published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on a monthly basis and are available on its website at data.cso.ie/table/HPM02. Data are broken down by volume and value as well as by dwelling status (new or existing dwelling), by type of buyer (First-Time Buyer, Owner Occupier or Non-Occupier) and by county. Some 49,634 dwellings were purchased by household buyers at market prices in the 12 months to end July, a marginal rise on the 49,297 purchases in the same period last year, and up 24% and 11% in the same period in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
Some 38,589 existing dwellings were purchased by household buyers in the year to end July 2025, down almost 3% on the previous year. This figure represents an increase of 10% and 5% on the same period in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
A continued increase in supply will help dampen house price growth and ease affordability challenges. The most recent Residential Property Price Index, which measures the changes in average prices actually paid, suggests the increase in prices paid for homes has been dampening for some time, with rises moderating from 10.1% in August last year to 7.5% in July. The monthly rate of increase in residential house prices has fallen from 1.2% in July 2024 to 0.8% in July this year.
First-time buyer (FTB) activity remains robust, with 18,529 purchases by FTBs in the year to end July, up 6% year-on-year and up 41% on the year to July 2020. The latest Banking and Payment Federation report shows mortgage activity, particularly FTB activity, remains robust with more than 122,800 FTB mortgages drawn down in the five years to end Q2 2025, while rolling 12-month drawdowns for FTBs increased almost 6% year-on-year to almost 26,900.
My Department does not forecast housing completions for any given year.
Sectoral commentators are forecasting a wide range for new home completions this year, with published forecasts suggesting somewhere between 32,000 to 37,000 new homes might be delivered this year. These forecasts may fluctuate as the year progresses and a more certain picture will only emerge towards year-end.
278. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions his Department is taking to address regional disparities in house price inflation, including rises of over 8% in Connacht-Ulster and 7.2% outside Dublin, as reported in the latest website (details supplied) survey. [53115/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra279. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department tracks the gap between general consumer price inflation and housing price inflation; and if so, the steps being taken to bring housing inflation in line with wider economic inflation trends. [53116/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 278 and 279 together.
Continuing to increase supply is key to meeting need and addressing many of the challenges currently facing the housing market. Increasing supply will help moderate house price growth and ease affordability challenges.
Supply has increased significantly in recent years. Some 140,000 new homes have been delivered since July 2020, with 92,400 of these delivered between 2022 and 2024 inclusive, exceeding the combined target for the period by 5,400 or so.
The most recent Residential Property Price Index, which measures the changes in average prices actually paid, suggests the increase in prices paid for homes has been dampening for some time, with rises moderating from 10.1% in August last year to 7.5% in July. The monthly rate of increase in residential house prices has fallen from 1.2% in July 2024 to 0.8% in July this year.
Government continues to bring forward measures to help build upon the uplift in supply over the last three years and help dampen house prices growth and ease affordability challenges across the country. The recently revised National Planning Framework is a major step forward in this regard, and will help increase capacity and accelerate home building across the country, while the new Housing Activation Office will work to address barriers to the delivery of infrastructure projects needed to enable housing development.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved, published and enacted before the summer recess. This is essential legislation to deal with expiring planning permissions and to encourage activation of housing.
The new Planning Design Standards for Apartments will allow greater flexibility vis-à-vis the size and mix of apartment types to help increase apartment viability, facilitate increased supply, and address affordability challenges.
A next call for expressions of interest under the Croí Cónaithe Cities scheme has been issued – the scheme will help activate the thousands of planning permissions for apartments in our cities.
Government also agreed to amend the rent pressure zone framework, which among other things will help stimulate increased development of apartments over the longer-term.
Plans have recently been announced for an enhanced LDA, to enable the delivery of more homes across the country, with the body working to deliver more private housing as well as social, affordable and cost rental.
Further measures to stimulate development activity will be considered in the context of the new national housing plan, which Government aims to publish in the coming weeks.
My Department does not collect data in relation to general consumer price inflation, this data can be found on the Central Statistics Office (CSO) website at: data.cso.ie/table/CPM12
