I move: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Programme for Government commits to continue and accelerate Social Housing regeneration schemes in Dublin, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage continues and commits to support regeneration projects submitted by Dublin City Council (DCC) that do not result in any significant loss of homes; — the Government's objective is to maximise the quality and availability of homes within the established inner-city flat complexes, and to ensure that they are to an acceptable standard; — DCC, through funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, are focused on eradicating any sub-standard conditions that have arisen in aging flat complexes, and this directly addresses the issues raised in the collective complaint to the European Committee of Social Rights at the Council of Europe, Strasbourg; — the Government is fully committed to working with DCC to ensure that all plans to regenerate all such flats, through either deep-retrofit or demolition and re-build, comes to fruition; — the Government has shown its commitment through National Development Plan funding of €20 billion for housing, which includes support for Dublin City regeneration; — a number of funding channels are available to local authorities to support regeneration projects, including the Social Housing Investment Programme, the Affordable Housing Fund, the Capital Advance Leasing Facility, the Cost Rental Equity Loan, and through the Regeneration and Refurbishment Programme; — an unprecedented level of funding is available to local authorities through these schemes, totalling over €3.4 billion in 2026; — local authorities are supported by almost €260 million per annum for the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, through the Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme (€40 million), Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (€140 million), Housing Adaptation Grant for Disabled People (€28.5 million), and the Regeneration and Refurbishment Programme (€50 million); — the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, has recently approved funding of €13.8 million for the deep retrofitting of 78 flats across four blocks at Pearse House; — the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working with DCC on a proposal for retrofitting the flats at Oliver Bond House, that will not result in a significant loss of housing, but will result in all homes being upgraded to modern standards; — the Minister and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will continue to support such retrofitting of these aging flats to bring them in-line with modern standards, and previous delivery of projects, such as the successful estate retrofit and regeneration or demolition and re-build of Killarney Court, Dolphin House Phase 1 and O'Devaney Gardens, shows that a pathway exists for successful delivery of inner-city regeneration to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, and the Government, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, are fully committed to continue this work; — the Government continues to recognise and support the needs of our strong and vibrant longstanding inner city communities, and recognises the value of their input and valuable lived experience to the planned regeneration of inner-city flat complexes, and this work is continuing throughout DCC, and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is happy to assess each proposal that is submitted by DCC; and — the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage works closely with the local government sector to ensure that delivery teams are fully resourced, and continues to do so, and are awaiting a report from a County and City Management Association working group on local authority social and affordable housing resources, and the Chief Executive of DCC has ultimate operational responsibility for the organisational structure of DCC, including additional staff requirements.". I thank the Deputies opposite for tabling the motion, which relates to flat complex retrofit regeneration in Dublin city. While the Government cannot support the motion, I welcome the opportunity to set out its clear and robust position on the issues the motion raises and to table a countermotion. Within the programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland's Future, a commitment was specifically made to continue to accelerate social housing regeneration schemes across Dublin. In our housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government commits to a social housing regeneration and remedial works programme for ageing flat complexes and estates nationwide. Social housing is absolutely a central priority for this Government, with 72,000 units planned under our housing action plan to the end of 2030. It is a fact that we are delivering the largest investment in social housing in the history of the State. That investment is being directed specially towards delivery of new social homes, the regeneration of older complexes and the refurbishment and maintenance of existing stock. This is a sustained, multi-annual commitment, not a short-term response. Regeneration is actively happening across Dublin city.
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Large-scale redevelopment projects are progressing, transforming communities-----
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-----and improving living conditions for residents. The Department of housing is fully supportive-----
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-----of regeneration proposals submitted by Dublin City Council, which do not result in any significant loss of homes-----
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-----or when loss of homes cannot be avoided, such decisions are fully justified. Furthermore, over €230 million per annum of Exchequer funding is being provided to local authorities under the planned maintenance and voids programmes, the energy retrofit programme and the regeneration and refurbishment programme, all of which are proving vital in the refurbishment and maintenance of local authority stock nationwide. Contrary to what the Opposition is saying, the Government does not accept there is an issue of underfunding. Local authorities generate significant-----
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A Leas Cheann-Comhairle-----
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-----I can respond to the motion that is before us if the Deputies want to give me the respect I gave them in the Chamber.
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If the Deputy wants me to respond to the motion, I will but-----
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-----but if he does not want to hear what I have to say-----
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Am I allowed to respond?
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I would appreciate the same respect that I accord the Deputy in this Chamber all of the time.
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I do not shout across the Deputy. I listened to him; I would appreciate if he could give me the same respect.
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Thank you, a Leas Cheann-Comhairle. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by the other side of the House, local authorities do generate significant rental income that should supplement central government funding in the area of maintenance because nobody in this Government wants to see anybody living in substandard accommodation.
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Dublin City Council is working closely with the Department to determine the best solution for each complex, be that demolition and rebuild resulting in mixed-tenure communities or, where appropriate, deep retrofit and remedial works. Mention has been made of local authority staffing and while it should be noted that the operational responsibility for staff lies with Dublin City Council and the chief executive, I assure the Chamber that my Department will consider all staffing requests that can add value to the delivery of housing in the city and across the country. With funding from my Department, Dublin City Council is delivering significant regeneration in Dublin city and we are supporting the council's ambitious pipeline of regeneration projects. Significant work is ongoing within the council's portfolio of regeneration projects as a direct result of extensive supports the Government is providing. Large-scale, mixed-tenure redevelopments are beginning to bear fruit, transforming their respective communities and delivering housing at scale. The Donore project at the former St. Teresa's Gardens flat complex, as well as the Montpelier development at the former O'Devaney Gardens-----
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-----are both currently on-site. Construction has recently begun at An Droichead Órga in Inchicore, at the former St. Michael's estate next to the historic Richmond Barracks.
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These three regeneration projects will revitalise their communities and deliver over 2,000 mixed-tenure homes, including cost-rental, affordable purchase and social housing once all phases are completed, with the support of Exchequer funding of over €460 million. This is clear evidence of the significant investment that Government is making-----
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-----in the regeneration of Dublin city, which is in stark contrast to the motion before us. The Department has funded Dublin City Council to the tune of €120 million for social housing regeneration projects completed in recent years, refurbishing or rebuilding 345 homes, including 72 homes at Dominick Street east-----
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-----100 homes as part of Dolphin House phase 1, and 32 homes for older persons at Glin Court in Coolock. The Department is funding eight projects currently on-site, delivering almost 1,000 homes at a total investment cost of €490 million. Additionally, Dublin City Council has a strong pipeline of regeneration projects that are currently at implementation phase, with building contractors on-site and construction progressing rapidly. These include 163 homes at Dorset Street, St. Mary's, Dublin 1, 102 homes at St. Anne's Court, Dublin 5 and 46 homes at Constitution Hill, phase 1, Dublin 7. The Department has also provided funding approval for regeneration projects in Dublin city, where DCC is working on the design, including Pearse House, Dublin 2, Dolphin House 1B, School Street, Dublin 8, Constitution Hill phase 2, Dublin 7, as well as Glover's Court, Dublin 2. In addition, the Government is supporting the Land Development Agency in its objective to deliver social and affordable homes at scale, and it is partnering with Dublin City Council to deliver significant schemes at Donore Avenue at the former St. Theresa's Gardens flat complex, Bluebell Waterways, Dublin 12 and Cherry Orchard. The LDA has also engaged with Dublin City Council in planning for significant social and cost rental delivery at Dolphin House flat complex. In relation to Pearse House and the Oliver Bond Street flat complexes, this Government recognises the need and potential difficulties of regeneration in fully tenanted, ageing buildings. As I have said, we do not want to see anybody living in substandard accommodation.
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A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I always address through the Chair.
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I would appreciate some extra time because I might not get finished as a result of the interruptions, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
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To that end, and recognising the efforts of Dublin City Council to create an agreeable and sustainable plan, funding of €13 million for the retrofit and deep refurbishment of four blocks at Pearse House has recently been approved by my Department. This follows an initial rejection of an amalgamation proposal from DCC, which would have resulted in the loss of 43% of existing homes at a very high cost. The Department is currently working with the Council to find an equally appropriate solution for the Oliver Bond House flat complex. This remains a priority regeneration project for Dublin City Council and for the Department. A recent funding submission received from the council for blocks L, M and N included a reduction of existing homes from 74 to 46, a 38% decrease in existing homes. That loss of 28 homes was not acceptable, given the current shortage of homes. A more appropriate response to this issue has been suggested by my Department, whereby flats that are currently configured as two-bedroom flats, with floor spaces of 48 sq. m should be converted into one-bedroom, two-person flats that would satisfy the minimum floor area standards for apartments. Coupled with this, Dublin City Council is proposing to develop an adjacent site at Bridgefoot Street in which larger families from the Oliver Bond Street complex could be accommodated, thus maintaining an appropriate mix of household types and sizes within the complex. The clear focus of Government is on driving delivery and increasing the number of homes available for use by all individuals and families. Additional supply is the only long-term sustainable solution to our current housing challenges.
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The Department is acutely aware that regeneration programmes cannot succeed without the input from local communities. That is why Dublin City Council continues to seek input from existing communities in flat complexes at each stage of the regeneration process.
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Their input is valued and all projects are advanced with the objective of improving the living conditions of these long-term established communities.
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I have a couple more concluding comments and would appreciate some latitude, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, because I was interrupted several times. We are aware of the collective complaint that was made to the European Committee of Social Rights in Strasbourg in 2017. It is for that very reason that Dublin City Council has been working on plans to regenerate all such flats through either deep retrofit or demolition and rebuild. The unparalleled funding available to local authorities through delivering homes and building communities will continue to be a key focus of this Government because both the Minister and I want to ensure that these flat complexes and other regeneration projects across the country are delivered.
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I am listening to the Deputy.
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