Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
609. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the dates on which the Housing Activation Office submitted reports to him since 1 January 2023 identifying infrastructure barriers to housing delivery; the number of barriers escalated; and the number that remain unresolved following those reports. [72310/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra610. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the categories of infrastructure barriers escalated to him by the Housing Activation Office since 2023, including transport, utilities, water services, planning or procurement; and the corrective actions his Department has directed in each case. [72311/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra611. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timeline his Department has set for publishing a consolidated annual report of housing activation barriers, actions and progress; and whether this report will include local-authority-level detail. [72312/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 609, 610 and 611 together.
The Government, on 29 April 2025, agreed to establish the Housing Activation Office (HAO) within my Department to address the critical need to accelerate housing delivery by coordinating and progressing the key enabling infrastructure required for development.
I have now established this Office and its function is to coordinate and accelerate the delivery of infrastructure projects that are essential to unlock housing sites. The HAO includes experts seconded from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector, who will support the work of the office.
Since its establishment, the HAO has been actively engaging with all local authorities and relevant infrastructure agencies to identify and address barriers to housing delivery.
I will shortly be bringing forward a €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund, which will provide targeted investment in enabling infrastructure. This new fund will complement existing investment by Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks and other agencies and will form part of a more coordinated, end-to-end approach to infrastructure delivery for housing. It will also operate alongside existing programmes such as the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.
The Office is currently working with local authorities to identify infrastructure projects needed to unlock key housing sites. This work is ongoing and the Office will prepare reports for the Minister in due course as to the information gathered.
