I thank the Deputy for his question in relation to my plans to address the month on month rise in homelessness. Addressing homelessness is a priority for my office, the Department and this Government. Our new housing plan is an integrated housing and homeless plan based on two key pillars: activating the supply of 300,000 more homes; and supporting people to have a home of their own. Increased supply is key to addressing homelessness. The Government is focused on making sure everyone has access to a good quality and affordable, secure home that suits their needs in their local community. More than €9 billion in capital funding will be made available for housing in 2026. Our new plan recognises that homelessness is the single most pressing social issue we face and introduces a number of key measures to address homelessness. Ensuring the implementation of these measures will be a priority for me in 2026. Meeting the Government commitment to eradicate homelessness requires a whole-of-government response. The national homeless action committee, NHAC, which I chair, supports the co-ordination of this response by Government, local authorities and their service delivery partners. The most recent meeting of NHAC took place yesterday, on Wednesday, 4 March. I will continue to work with the committee to ensure a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across Government to implement actions in the new housing plan. Prevention of homelessness in the first instance is an absolute priority. There are many prevention initiatives already under way in my Department and across Government. This includes the provision of social and affordable housing, HAP, homeless HAP and our strong tenancy protection legislation in order to ensure a fully aligned all-of-government approach under the plan. The programme for Government includes a commitment to a holistic cross-departmental approach to homeless prevention. Work has commenced on developing a national homeless prevention framework to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness. It is intended that this framework will be in place later this year. Addressing family homelessness is absolute priority for me. Under the new housing plan, we will develop a dedicated child and family homeless action plan as well.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I have already outlined the several of the measures we are taking. Through our national homeless action committee along with homeless organisations, we are developing new strategies around child and family homelessness, and there are also our programmes around other homeless prevention. What the Deputy does not mention when he mentions the 55,000 figure is how many we have prevented going into homelessness or how many we have exited from homelessness. Since 2014 this country's population has increased by some 800,000 people. That is a challenge. We acknowledge there is a housing crisis in this country. What we are doing is trying to ensure people have the homes they need in their local community. There has been a challenge in driving the supply to meet the demand in this country over the past number of years. We saw a significant increase in homes being delivered last year, more than 36,000 homes and a 20% increase in housing delivery. We are stepping up even further in homeless prevention and exits and have significantly increased the amount of capital funding available to exit people longest on our homeless lists out of homelessness as well.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I have set out numerous new measures we have announced in the past number of months to address homelessness. We know the only way we are ultimately going to address the housing, rental and homelessness crises is through increasing supply and not calcifying these crises in permanency, as is proposed by Sinn Féin with its measures. In the new tenancy legislation, we have some of the strongest, if not the strongest, tenancy protection measures in the European Union. We have security of tenure - people know how long they can stay in their homes. This was introduced for the first time in the history of the State. We have effectively ended no-fault evictions for the majority of tenants.
Sentiment score: 0.26
That has now been brought in. The only way a landlord can increase their rent with an existing tenant leaving is if that tenant voluntarily leaves and the Deputy is very much aware of that as well. We have to drive the supply. The Deputy is finding all sorts of accusations in relation to our proposals but he is not putting any forward himself other than calcifying the crisis in permanency.
Sentiment score: -0.07
I thank the Deputy. Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government is targeting the delivery of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable supports. The latest Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures released show that a total of 36,284 new dwellings were completed in 2025, an increase of 20% year on year, the highest annual total since the dataset years began in 2011. Record level of social and affordable housing delivery have been achieved in recent years, with preliminary 2025 figures indicating further record levels of delivery. Since 2019, new-build social housing delivery by the State has been tracking in and around 25% of the overall housing output, which is a very significant investment by the State in the provision of social housing. In conjunction with growing cost-rental delivery, it puts the State in a very strong position to meet, over time, the Housing Commission recommendation that social and cost-rental housing should comprise at least 20% of the entire housing stock. I am confident that the new social and affordable targets set out in Delivering Homes, Building Communities can be achieved, supported by tangible measures set out in the plan, including streamlining and expanding affordable housing supports; the new single approval process for all new-build social housing projects up to a value of €200 million; mandating the use of standard house layouts and specification for social housing; and facilitating the use of modern methods of construction through standardised design approaches. We have also introduced a revamped renewal programme focused on tackling dereliction and vacancy in social housing; expanding the role and remit of the Land Development Agency; expanding and streamlining the operation of the land acquisition fund; financially incentivising local authorities to exceed annual own-build social housing targets; and funding ring-fenced social and affordable new-build housing delivery teams in each local authority. In addition, the housing activation office will identify and seek to address barriers to the delivery of public infrastructure projects required to enable housing development and support increased delivery of the national development plan. Record levels of funding have been committed for new social and affordable housing totalling almost €20 billion.
Sentiment score: 0.42
I do not accept that the new legislation is going to drive up homelessness. We know that notices to quit are the single greatest driver of homelessness. We know that the average tenancy is about 3.6 years. The new six-year tenancies of minimum duration will, I have no doubt, drive that 3.6 years significantly longer and reduce notices to quit, with people coming in and needing housing under new tenancies. In regard to last year, just over 36,000 new homes were built. Some 25% of those were new-build social homes. That shows the Government is fully committed. Most local authorities are now stepping up to the mark in delivering social homes but we need every local authority stepping up to meet its targets because the funding is there for those local authorities to deliver on those social homes. What we did last year was deliver 9,089 new-build social homes. That is an increase of 1,256 homes, or 16% compared to 2024. This is the highest number of social homes newly built in the history of the State. That shows the Government's commitment to new-build social home delivery.
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It was 9,089.
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I do not think it can be glossed over that last year, we built the highest number of new-build social homes in the history of the State. What has to be understood is that-----
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-----we were coming from a standing start because the Deputy will know-----
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Stop trying to shout me down, please.
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The consistent Sinn Féin tactic is whenever I say something they do not want to hear, they start shouting me down. The Deputy has to have respect. He does not have to like what I have to say but he has to listen to me.
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And it continues.
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Is the Deputy going to let me speak? I thank the Deputy. It is the highest number of new-build social homes in the history of the State but we came from a very low standing start. As Deputy Sheehan will know, the last time the Labour Party had the Department of housing-----
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-----it built 75 new-build social homes in the entire State.
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We have taken that from 75 to 9,089.
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We left them with too many houses; that was the problem. The Labour Party turned a crisis of too many homes into one of too few in four and a half years. Well done.
Sentiment score: -0.16
I thank the Deputy for raising this question in relation to the unaffordability of cost rentals. As the Deputy is aware, the cost-rental scheme was introduced by this Government under the previous housing plan and is continued and expanded in the new plan. It is designed to address the affordability challenge in the rental sector and to provide secure, long-term homes for moderate-income households. This is why, under the new Delivering Homes, Building Communities plan, we have committed to growing the provision of affordable cost-rental properties. Though cost rental was only introduced in 2021, over 4,500 new homes were delivered by quarter 3 of last year and a substantial pipeline is now in place. There is huge demand for these homes as they become available. While we are not yet at the stage of supplying as many as are needed, we are getting there. The cost-rental homes already delivered and those in the pipeline are meeting a real demand, are incredibly popular and are providing a much needed, secure and affordable element in the rental sector. Let us be clear that cost-rental housing did not exist in this country five years ago. From a standing start in 2021 to now, because of the action of this Government and the unprecedented levels of funding provided in successive budgets, rental properties are being made available at heavy discounts to the private market rental rates. This State intervention is ensuring those on moderate incomes who would otherwise not be able to afford to rent are moving into decent homes with monthly rents they can afford. We are providing substantial funding to local councils, the LDA and the approved housing bodies, AHBs. Since the launch of cost rental in 2021, approximately €2.25 billion in Exchequer funding has been approved for cost-rental projects. Beyond my Department, significant funding is also being provided by the State's Housing Finance Agency. The lowering of VAT on new apartments to 9% in budget 2026 will also assist in delivering new homes to the cost-rental sector, with lower costs meaning lower rents. The nature of my Department's funding in the form of non-repayable grants and investments and long-term loans at extremely low rates means rents can be set below full cost recovery levels and far below comparable rents in the private market.
Sentiment score: 0.22
The visit to Oscar Traynor Road was a huge day. It was great to see a huge turnout. As the Deputy will be aware, the scheme has a mix of social, affordable and cost-rental units. It is a significant mix. If I recall, there are approximately 850 homes being delivered there in total and they are being delivered ahead of schedule. It is one of many large schemes now being delivered by Dublin City Council. Cost-rental schemes are oversubscribed. I am trying to ensure - I am keeping a close eye on this all the time - that there is a scaling in affordability so that people can access the homes they need in line with what they can afford, whether that is through social housing, affordable purchase, cost rental or helping people to be able to buy homes with the help-to-buy scheme and the first home scheme under which people can purchase homes themselves. That is what we are looking to do on the affordable side and we are always monitoring the various schemes.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I very much have answered the question. We are always assessing the various schemes that come under the Department of housing to ensure there is availability for people at various levels of income. These schemes are way oversubscribed. We need even more cost-rental properties. That indicates there are people who fall into that bracket. We need to ensure, as I said, there are social, affordable, cost-rental and other schemes, whatever they may be, and the private supports we provide to people to be able to buy homes. I keep all those things constantly under review to keep a balance and that is what I will continue to do. I will continue to keep it under assessment.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I thank the Deputy for his question, which centres on the home-buying process including ghost bids, gazumping and bidding wars. I recently took over responsibility for the Property Services Regulatory Authority from the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. It regulates property service providers, including estate agents. Estate agents already have to comply with key statutory obligations regulating the home bidding process under the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011, which provides they shall not imply to any person that an offer has been received unless it has in fact been received; they must retain for a period of six years a record of all bids received; and they must confirm in writing to all potential purchasers receipt of their submitted bid. Furthermore, where the Property Services Regulatory Authority receives a complaint alleging fake bids, it has powers to request a copy of all bids received - the record of bids document - and has investigative powers to ensure those bids are genuine. The ESRI published a report last month, Buying and Selling Property in Ireland, which outlines how aspects of the Irish housing transaction system influence buyer and seller behaviour and provides insights on features of the Irish market that warrant consideration for reform. The matters raised in the report overlap policy, legislative and regulatory areas across the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and my Department. Along with my colleague, the Minister for justice, who has responsibility for the conveyancing process, I will reflect on the recommendations in the report. Any reform proposals will require deeper examination, including assessing impacts on the balance of rights of sellers and buyers in areas such as when a bid becomes legally binding; the rights of buyers to get an independent survey after bid acceptance; where legal responsibility for repair sits after the sale of a property; the merits, drawbacks and implications of closed versus open bid models; and the pros and cons of the various methods that auctioneers capture when displaying updates on bids. I have asked my officials to consider further reform in respect of the regulation of property service providers and the wider recommendations in the report.
Sentiment score: 0.20
The Government has accepted there are issues. That is why it set up the expert group. The programme for Government committed to a broad package of measures to assist home buyers under the home buyers help package, many of which have already been progressed by the implementation group of the task force on conveyancing and probate, arising from the previous actions under Housing for All. The ESRI report itself focused on behavioural aspects of the Irish housing transaction system within the current supply and demand context, and with studies showing how aspects of the system influence buyers' and sellers' behaviour. The task force was set up. There is an implementation group. Those measures are being implemented. We are also continuing to review in the Department what is happening in terms of the home buyers' market.
Sentiment score: 0.14
I thank the Deputy. As I said, we have had our task force and we have the implementation group. Many measures have already been implemented and the rest of those measures are being implemented at pace. I am happy with the work the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is doing in this area. I am reviewing the new report that has come from the ESRI to see if further measures are needed on top of that and I will make those decisions. Where measures are needed, I will implement them.
Sentiment score: 0.19