Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 November 2025
21. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the engagement between the housing activation office and local authorities in Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65584/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government recognised the need to accelerate home building by unblocking infrastructure delays and coordinating investment in servicing zoned land.
To support this, I established a Housing Activation Office in my Department to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure needed to service zoned lands and enable housing development.
Senior specialists from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector have been seconded to my Department to support the work of the Office.
The team are actively engaged in identifying barriers to housing delivery and coordinating with local authorities and relevant infrastructure agencies to address these barriers.
As part of this process, representatives from the Office have met officials from Galway City Council and Galway County Council on a number of occasions over October and November to get an overview of lands zoned for housing and the infrastructure needed to unlock housing at these locations. Members of the HAO team also attended the Housing Delivery Word Café event hosted by Galway City & County Council and my Department on the 12th November 2025.
I will bring forward a €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund in the coming months that will support direct investment in housing enabling infrastructure at a local level. This fund will be designed to complement investment by infrastructure agencies, such as Uisce Éireann and ESB Networks, as part of a more coordinated approach.
Once the fund is launched, local authorities, including Galway City and County Councils, will be invited to submit applications for funding to support the delivery of infrastructure projects that enable housing development.
The support provided by the Housing Activation Office will play a critical role in assisting the Galway Councils in meeting their housing targets under the Revised National Planning Framework.
