Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 May 2026
143. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the steps being taken to address ongoing population decline and housing shortages in Gaeltacht areas; the number of housing units funded or delivered in Gaeltacht regions in the past two years; the way in which the Government is ensuring that young people can remain and work in Gaeltacht communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38412/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt should be noted by the Deputy that housing policy is a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
That said, the provision of housing for those living and working in Gaeltacht areas is an extremely important issue to me as Minister as it is essential to developing the language, services, employment, entrepreneurship and other opportunities in the Gaeltacht. Minister Browne and I have been working closely on this with officials since my appointment as Minister.
The recently published Government Housing Plan contains a commitment by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish a National Planning Statement for the Gaeltacht in the first half of 2027, while also stating that the feasibility of Údarás na Gaeltachta working with Uisce Éireann and local authorities to support housing construction for Irish speaking communities will be examined.
I have recently facilitated a meeting between Údarás na Gaeltachta and Uisce Éireann with a view to ensuring that progress is made on this matter without delay. It is worth noting however, that Údarás na Gaeltachta has a secondary role in this space as the primary responsibility lies with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the local authorities.
On a related matter, I met with the LGMA and relevant local authorities earlier this year to discuss the matter of Gaeltacht housing. At that meeting I recommended that relevant local authorities integrate the specific needs of the Gaeltacht into County Development Plans, and consult with Údarás na Gaeltachta to ensure that any housing policy to be implemented is appropriate to address the housing shortage in the Gaeltacht.
Údarás na Gaeltachta has statutory responsibility for the economic, linguistic, social and cultural development within the 26 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas prescribed under the Gaeltacht Act 2012. The organisation supports over 9,000 jobs in its client companies and has, over a number of years, developed a level of expertise in providing wastewater facilities serving its network of business parks and industrial estates across all Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas. As I have already outlined, in this context, it is proposed to examine the feasibility of Údarás na Gaeltachta working with Uisce Éireann and local authorities to support building housing for Irish speaking communities.
Furthermore, I understand that the Housing Activation Office (HAO) has been established in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, comprising experts seconded from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector. The Office, as I understand, will address barriers in areas such as roads, water, electricity, drainage and community infrastructure, to get housing developments moving across the country. A new €1 billion fund has also been created to support the Housing Activation Office, with €205m allocated in 2026. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is also working with Uisce Éireann and local authorities to address water and wastewater infrastructure needs through the Rural Water Programme, which includes Gaeltacht communities and helps support the delivery of housing in these areas.
In addition, the Town Centre First policy, a joint initiative of my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has put in place a suite of measures to support the regeneration, repopulation and development of rural towns and villages. This includes the Ready to Build Scheme funded under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, which supports local authorities to make vacant serviced sites in towns and villages available for sale to potential individual purchasers at a discount on the market value of the site, to build a home. The level of discount to the individual will depend on the level of servicing cost incurred by the local authority before the sale of the site but will not exceed €30,000.
The Planning and Development Act 2024 includes specific provisions relating to Gaeltacht areas, including that where there is a Gaeltacht within the functional area of a planning authority, the corresponding development plan for that area must include provisions and settlement-specific objectives for the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht including the protection of Irish as the Gaeltacht’s community language. Where a development plan sets out settlement-specific objectives in respect of any Gaeltacht, a ‘Priority Area Plan’ will subsequently be introduced for that Gaeltacht area to guide its development, renewal or regeneration and to specify how the relevant settlement-specific objectives in the development plan are to be implemented.
As set out in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage intend to publish a National Planning Statement for the Gaeltacht in the first half of 2027. Having regard to the need to consider the complex matters involved and further to engagement with my Department, a finalised draft National Planning Statement will be assessed for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA).
