Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 November 2025
311. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the social housing allocation for County Wicklow and County Wexford for 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62448/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment is committed to delivering housing at scale across all tenures to meet the needs in Wicklow and Wexford. To help achieve this, last year, Government approved new national housing targets up to the year 2030. 303,000 homes will aim to be delivered in the period from 2025 to 2030, equating to an annual average of 50,500 homes, building up to 60,000 in 2030.
The revised targets were informed by research and modelling by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on population projections and long-run housing demand. The revised national housing targets will inform the revision to existing social and affordable housing targets at a local authority level, ensuring that allocations reflect both housing need and population growth.
Work is ongoing in this regard and updated targets for each local authority, including Wicklow and Wexford for 2026-2028, will be set out as part of the next phase of planning for social and affordable housing delivery. These revised targets will align with the updated National Planning Framework and with the results of the Housing need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) process. The HNDA provides evidence based insights into the local housing requirements for both Wicklow and Wexford.
To ensure that local authority development plans reflect the requirements of the National Planning Framework in respect of housing as soon as possible, I issued the NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in July 2025. These Guidelines set out the housing demand scenario to 2040 for each local authority, by translating the NPF housing requirements into average annual figures and set out the requirement for planning authorities to commence the process of varying their development plan to meet the new housing growth requirements.
The Government remains fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment which is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2025, with overall capital funding now allocated by Government of almost €7.5 billion. The capital provision for 2025 is supplemented by a further €1.65 billion in current funding.
In general, my Department does not provide specific funding allocations to local authorities, rather funding for housing programmes is made to the local authorities as programmes and projects advance and relevant claims fall due for payment.
A funding allocation is provided to local authorities for the second hand social housing acquisitions programme. Funding for the 2026 second-hand acquisitions programme will be agreed shortly following completion of 2026 Estimates process.
