I thank Deputy Connolly for raising the important issue of the funding provided to housing authorities for the provision of emergency accommodation in 2024 and 2025. Supporting individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government and me. Critical to this is increasing the supply of housing. The Government is committed to increasing supply with a record level of €6.8 billion in capital funding being made available for the delivery of housing in 2025. The capital provision is supplemented by a further €1.65 billion in current funding to address housing need. This will allow us to build on the more than 10,500 new social homes which were delivered in 2024, through build, acquisition and leasing, including 7,871 new-build homes. Including HAP and RAS, 20,292 social housing solutions were delivered throughout 2024. The programme for Government commits to providing emergency accommodation to everyone who needs it. An allocation of €303 million has been made under budget 2025 to provide homelessness prevention services, emergency accommodation and other services for households experiencing homelessness. This funding will also support the provision of supports that households require to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy, including tenancy sustainment services and housing first. In addition, capital funding of €25 million will support the delivery of high quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness. The total funding provided by my Department to each of the homeless regions in 2024 was €384,999,954, and to date in 2025 €81,523,279 in funding has been provided. As requested, my Department will make this data available to the Deputy in tabular form.
Sentiment score: 0.03
I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this very important issue. He has raised this matter with me on numerous occasions and he campaigned on it. The issue of child homelessness in particular is very dear to the Deputy's heart and it is also extremely important to me that we address this issue. The prevention of people going into homelessness is absolutely critical and that is what we are working on. Obviously, there is the broader issue of increasing supply. That is the ultimate solution but in the meantime, until we get supply up to where we need it, we will continue to work to help prevent people from going into homelessness in the first place. We are working on the development of the national homeless prevention framework this year to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness. A key prevention measure over the last few years has been the provision of funding to support local authorities to purchase more than 3,000 properties from landlords to convert to long-term social housing under the acquisition scheme. The tenant in situ acquisition scheme has been an important measure and significant funding has been provided this year for second hand acquisitions, with €325 million already made available. My Department continues to engage with local authorities on the operational details for second hand acquisitions.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I again thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of homelessness and especially child homelessness. I will continue to engage with him. I will meet the two Galway local authorities in the coming weeks. I will head to Galway to meet both the city and county councils. Homelessness is a national issue but it has regional variations in terms of both causation and how we address the particular issues. I am aware of the Deputy's data that shows that area is having particular challenges outside the Dublin region, so I want to engage with the local authorities. The staffing will remain under review, but we want to ensure the supports are being put in place to ensure we can prevent people going into homelessness in the first place and that where it happens people are transitioned back out of homelessness as quickly as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.33
I thank the Deputy. The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new voids programme and work is under way in my Department to develop and roll out that programme. As Minister, my focus is on building on the strong progress made over recent years in tackling local authority vacancy levels, which was supported and enabled by significant Exchequer funding for my Department over the past ten years and in particular since 2020. In total, more than €360 million has been recouped to local authorities since 2014 under the voids programme, which has supported the refurbishment and re-letting of 25,672 dwellings. Given the very positive impact of that investment it is expected local authorities should have dealt with legacy vacancy issues by now. They should therefore be in a strong position with respect to long-term vacancy and be able to further the transition to a strategic and planned approach to stock management and maintenance, with the ongoing support of my Department. With this in mind, it is my intention the new voids programme will have a renewed focus on prompt turnaround and re-letting of vacant units by focusing only on those works necessary to ensure compliance with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Non-essential works should be carried out under the local authority’s planned maintenance programme informed by stock condition surveys, whereby all housing components are on an inspection, repair and replacement cycle. While the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is legally a matter for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the approach being developed is necessary to ensure a strategic approach to the management and maintenance of the housing stock informed by stock condition surveys is in place and that vacancies are turned around quickly.
Sentiment score: 0.44
I thank the Deputy again for raising the question. I assure him the Government commitment is there to ensure we have a planned maintenance programme for our local authority stock. The largest-ever voids programme was funded by the previous Government in 2020 and the Department provided uncapped funding for those dwellings vacant for more than 12 months in 2020. Subsequently it was acknowledged that legacy vacancy should have been dealt with and a more streamlined programme has been implemented to support the works necessary to meet rental standards. We want to encourage local authorities to have a consistent basis of turning these voids around as quickly as possible. Some local authorities are very effective and some not so much. Legacy vacancies should have been resolved. There is little or no reason for these voids not to be turned around as quickly as possible when they are vacated. Works carried out should be what is necessary to turn those voids around, whereas the challenge is some local authorities are taking significant time to address them by carrying out substantial works that quite frankly are not necessary to re-let a property.
Sentiment score: 0.34
Again, getting these voids back into play as quickly as possible is essential. Record funding is provided for the local authorities. There is inconsistency across them; there is no question about that. Some local authorities take the view of ongoing maintenance that when the property is vacated it is got back into a state where it can be re-let as quickly as possible. Other local authorities seem to take a considerable time assessing those properties and some carry out a very large amount of refurbishment work that quite frankly is not necessary. The property just needs to be brought back to a condition where it can be re-let. It should be in that condition anyway when it is being vacated, unless the previous tenants have done something untoward, which is very rare. In my experience, social housing tenants are excellent tenants. We are going to get under the hood in the local authorities where these delays are happening and ensure these voids are being brought back and that the best practice the best local authorities are carrying out becomes standard right across the country.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of expectations for the delivery of affordable housing in 2025. I also thank him for his ongoing engagement on this issue, which is one he campaigned very strongly on. The Government is fully committed to delivering affordable housing at scale and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures. In 2024, more than 7,000 affordable housing options were delivered nationwide by a range of delivery partners, exceeding the target of 6,400 for the year. Overall nearly 13,000 affordable housing solutions have been delivered since the launch of Housing for All, which is huge progress from a standing start in 2021. Under Housing for All, the affordable housing delivery target for 2025 is 6,400 and a very strong pipeline is in place across our delivery partners, including local authorities, approved housing bodies, the Land Development Agency and the first home scheme. Galway City Council has funding approval in place for three schemes to deliver 124 affordable purchase homes. Galway County Council has funding approval to support delivery of 61 homes in Claregalway. Both local authorities have further proposals in development. In addition, approval is in place for the delivery of the first cost-rental homes by an approved housing body in Galway city this year, with further cost-rental homes to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. Building on this progress, my Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline for 2025 and beyond and to ensure the affordable housing programme responds effectively to the affordable housing needs identified at a local level. Under the programme for Government, the Government committed to introduce a new starter home programme across the public, private and AHB sector that promotes home ownership and secures long-term rental tenures for young people and fresh start applicants. My Department is currently progressing that commitment and it will form part of the next housing plan.
Sentiment score: 0.54
I thank the Deputy again for raising this question. It is a matter he has worked very hard on and has campaigned on to ensure we can have those affordable homes, which are an essential part of our housing delivery and to ensure we have private homes people can afford to buy, affordable homes people can access, and social homes across the spectrum so everybody has access to a home they can afford. I hear the Deputy on Galway East. I will be visiting both local authorities in the coming weeks and engaging with them to see what more we can do to support them in delivering affordable homes. In supporting the development of Galway city and county's affordable housing programme, the Department is funding dedicated affordable housing administrative and technical staffing posts, with seven in Galway city and six in Galway county. There are 14 cost-rental homes to be provided in Barna in early 2026, which should be part of a cost-rental equity loan scheme as well. We want to see more affordable homes and will continue to work with the local authorities and local Deputies.
Sentiment score: 0.37
The Deputy is rightly passionate about keeping our young people in this country and providing affordable homes as a key solution to keeping young people here. That is what we want to deliver, and we want to accelerate the number of affordable homes that are being delivered. It is certainly something I regard as extremely important. I am working with each local authority to ensure that those affordable homes are available where they are needed in each and every county. I will continue to work with the Deputy and look forward to engaging directly with both local authorities in Galway in the coming weeks when I visit Galway to see how we can ensure those affordable homes are being delivered.
Sentiment score: 0.50
I thank Deputy Daly for raising this important question in relation to Roscommon County Council and the funding allocated for the tenant in situ scheme for 2025. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing engagement in relation to this important issue. The Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of social housing need, including tenants in situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP and RAS and who had received a notice of termination. The other priority categories for second-hand acquisitions are properties that allow persons or families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on housing first targets; and specific housing required for people with a disability or other particular priority needs, including older people. In total, €325 million has been provided for all 31 local authorities for this purpose in 2025, of which Roscommon County Council has been allocated funding of €2 million. To date, Roscommon County Council has only drawn down 29%, or €585,547, of its €2m allocation for acquisitions. The provision of a capital funding allocation will help promote best practice in obtaining value for money and provide local authorities with the flexibility to respond to needs and priorities locally within the categories of need being prioritised. Tenant in situ acquisitions continue to be supported and prioritised where other solutions cannot be found for the affected tenants. It is a matter for local authorities to assess the circumstances of each case and decide the appropriate action. The 2025 arrangements ensure a more targeted and focused acquisitions programme. My Department continues to engage with local authorities on any challenges which emerge in order to ensure that tenant in situ acquisitions can continue in 2025 where no other solutions exist for affected households.
Sentiment score: 0.43
I thank Deputy Daly again for raising this very important question. In relation to Roscommon County Council's acquisitions from 2020-2024, the annual acquisitions funding provided for Roscommon for that period was €1.8 million, with €2 million funding provided for them in 2025. During the period of 2020-2024, my Department provided €8.9 million to Roscommon County Council for the delivery of 57 acquisitions. Funding of circa €590,000 provided to Roscommon to date in 2025 relates to two acquisitions and agreed refurbishment works in acquisitions delivered prior to 2025. I assure the Deputy we will continue to keep tenants in situ and, indeed, all second-hand acquisitions under the programme under review.
Sentiment score: 0.23
I thank Deputy Daly and, indeed, I am always happy to go to Roscommon. I have asked our local authorities to use the full range of options for tenants in situ who have received a notice of termination. Acquiring the landlord's property is one option but it is not the sole option. In some cases, local authorities might use the thousands of new social allocations that they make each year to provide a new tenancy for families they are supporting. These and casual vacancies are a valuable option given the record numbers of social homes delivered over recent years. Local authorities might also use their tenancy sustainment officers to work with tenants and landlords on options that are available. In relation to Deputy Gould and Cork city, €20 million has been provided for Cork city this year. That money has not been drawn down and only a proportion of it has. I have visited and met with the Cork city executive in Cork city and will continue to work with them.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising the important question around the expansion of the provision of modular housing. I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work and engagement in this important area of housing delivery. My Department, working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and other relevant stakeholders, is progressing work to increase delivery capacity in the residential construction sector through promoting the adoption of modern methods of construction, MMC. MMC is a collective term which describes innovative construction alternatives to traditional construction, which includes modular housing. In 2023, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, in collaboration with my Department, published the roadmap for the increased adoption of MMC in public housing delivery which was a priority deliverable under Housing for All. The roadmap set out a series of initiatives and policy interventions needed to advance the use of compliant MMC in public housing delivery and remove barriers to adoption. The publication of the modern methods of construction roadmap set in train a live agenda for modern methods of construction development in Ireland. Under Housing for All, a range of initiatives have already been put in place to support modern methods of construction. These include the accelerated delivery programme to deliver over 1,500 modern methods of construction dwellings through local authorities, led by my Department. In addition and building on this experience, Wexford County Council is currently tendering a 3D pilot project of 22 social housing units utilising off-site three dimensional construction methods which are essentially what are referred to as modular units. The recent programme for Government contains a further range of initiatives to support MMC, including modular housing. These initiatives include a modern methods of construction innovation fund to directly fund new and existing factories; targets for modern methods of construction use in at least 25% of all State-backed housing; resourcing the National Standards Authority of Ireland to ensure regulatory certificates are issued in a timely manner; and increasing training programmes in modern methods of construction.
Sentiment score: 0.35
I thank the Deputy for his passion and determination regarding the provision of housing solutions in his county and across the country. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, has been working hard and has come up with significant proposals on log cabins. There will be a consultation next week, led by the Minister of State, about that matter, particularly as it is being worked on. We will continue to work across the Department to find the necessary solutions which are required in order that people can have the homes they need where they need them.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I thank Deputy O'Meara for raising this important issue. I am legally precluded from commenting on any particular planning cases. As already stated, the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is leading the public consultation. That consultation will commence next month as opposed to than next week. The Minister of State has already completed the interdepartmental consultation process, so his work on this matter is advancing quite rapidly. We are looking at all options as to what we can do to deliver. Modern methods of construction are crucial to ramping up the speed of delivery of homes, be they modular or of any other type. The programme for Government is clear in its significant commitment to the use of modern methods of construction. We are working with the Department of enterprise to ensure that the relevant requirements are in place and that this happens as quickly as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.20
That is a different-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank the Deputy. His question relates to the urgent review of the cut in funding for the social housing acquisition programmes, given its negative impact on key homelessness schemes such as the tenant in situ and housing first. Tenant in situ acquisitions have been an important measure in the prevention of homelessness since their introduction in 2023. The Government has therefore agreed to continue such acquisitions in 2025 and has increased the funding available for second-hand social housing acquisitions from the €60 million allocated under Housing for All to €325 million through the allocation of an additional €265 million this year. To date, local authorities have only drawn down 20%, or €64.13 million, of the €325 million which has been allocated for acquisitions in 2025. My Department engaged with local authorities on the operational details for the second-hand acquisitions programme and a circular setting out the arrangements was issued to them on the 31 March 2025, with individual allocations for the local authorities being notified to them on 1 April 2025. Under revised arrangements for second hand acquisitions in 2025, local authorities have received a capital funding allocation for the acquisition of homes for the priority categories of: tenant in situ properties that allow persons or families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on housing first targets; specific housing required for people with a disability or the elderly; and vacant properties under the buy and renew scheme. The provision of a capital funding allocation will help promote best practice in obtaining value for money and provide local authorities with the flexibility to respond to the needs and priorities locally within the categories of needs of people who need those supports. Tenant in situ acquisitions continue to be supported and prioritised where other solutions cannot be found for the affected tenants. It is a matter for local authorities to assess the circumstances of each case and decide the appropriate action. The arrangements for 2025 will ensure a more targeted and focused acquisitions programme. My Department continues to engage with local authorities on any challenges which emerge in order to ensure that tenant in situ acquisitions can continue in 2025 where no other solutions exist for the affected households.
Sentiment score: 0.33
I take the housing first programme very seriously. I engage with my officials daily in relation to homelessness, in particular, which is an absolute priority for me, both preventing people going into homelessness and people exiting homelessness. The housing first programme for people who have particular difficulties is something I am very aware of and have dealt with both as a TD and now as Minister for housing. It will continue to be an absolute priority for me.
Sentiment score: -0.06