Dáil debates
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Ceisteanna Eile (Atógail) - Other Questions (Resumed)
Housing Provision
9:15 pm
Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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54. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on revised social housing targets in Clare; the progress on the target of 153 new social homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42931/24]
Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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I ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on revised social housing targets in Clare; the progress on the target of 153 new social homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The research published in July by the ESRI on population growth and structural housing demand to 2040 provides a credible evidence base for the development of revised housing targets by my Department. Officials in my Department have considered the implications of the ESRI research and estimated the level of unmet demand for the revised housing targets. They have also considered other policy imperatives, such as the appropriate mix of social, affordable and private ownership and private rental housing that will be required. The revised housing targets will have regard to the forthcoming update to the national planning framework, which is running alongside it and will be published in draft. The public consultation on it concluded on 12 September and received a significant number of submissions, which are being assessed. There is also the good work of the Housing Commission. All of that will provide an overall average housing delivery target. As the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, said, we hope to publish the increased housing targets in the coming weeks. The targets will take effect from 2025 and provide for both new household formation and pent-up demand. The work is ongoing as I speak.
Clare County Council has a target to deliver 153 new-build social homes in 2024. In the first six months of the year, it delivered 16 new-build homes. However, Clare exceeded its targets in both 2022 and 2023. Traditionally, the delivery of social housing rises throughout the year, with the vast majority of local authority and approved housing body new delivery coming in the second half of the year, particularly the last quarter. Last year, 6,000 new social homes were delivered in the last quarter. Our projections are good for completions. Clare County Council will not just meet but exceed the target set for this year and we will then work towards the pipeline for 2025.
Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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The ESRI research is noteworthy and it is positive that work is ongoing. However, I must refer to the low number of social housing homes delivered in County Clare since 2016, namely, zero in 2016 and 2017; two in 2018; 25 the following year; 34 the year after that; 55 in 2021; and it then jumped to 184 in 2022. According to the statistics on the Department's website, there were only 31 last year, although 153 are due to be delivered by the end of this year. Many developments are due to be completed by the year-end and I hope it will exceed that target. Nonetheless, 331 over eight years is very low, taking into account the housing emergency of recent years.
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy knows, I have been to Clare a number of times. The housing team in Clare are doing a very good job. Some homes are delivered directly by the local authority and some through approved housing bodies, and a combination of repair and lease is also bringing older buildings back into use. The years 2020 and 2021 were constrained due to the construction shutdowns during Covid, which seems like the dark, distant past at this stage. Since then, Clare County Council has delivered 595 new homes up to the end of 2023, and that is on build only. On top of that, it has delivered 177 on acquisitions and 120 on leases. This year will have strong delivery. I know the Deputy is a strong advocate of social housing in County Clare. Based on my projections and preparations for answering her today, we will exceed the target and set new targets. What has helped with the local authorities is that we have been able to set those targets on a multi-annual basis so they have been able to plan for it. I have been very impressed by the work that Clare has done, coming from a very low base to a high level of delivery.
Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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I appreciate that it is increasing year-on-year but over 40,000 people are accessing emergency accommodation, and that does not account for everyone who is homeless currently. That is 2,099 families and 4,419 children, which is an increase of 14% from last year. In one year, from August of last year to this year, 1,795 additional people entered emergency accommodation. We know the Simon Community’s recent report, Locked Out of the Market, raised concerns about the lack of affordable housing and that this is forcing families and single people into homelessness, and for longer. That was the most damning thing that came across in the report. There are very few opportunities to secure a home. In County Clare, over 75% are in need of one and two-bedroom properties and nearly 2,900 are on the housing list currently.
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy mentioned the overall national figures.
If we look at 2023, just short of 12,000 social homes were delivered. Of those, 8,110 were new-build social homes. That was the highest number in 50 years. Mainly through the tenantin situprogramme, we purchased 1,830 new homes, ended HAP tenancies and insecure tenancies and converted them to social housing tenancies. We delivered 1,999 new homes through various leasing programmes. That is a 16% step up on the previous year so we are building year on year and I can confidently predict that this year, we will not only attain our social housing targets but exceed them. That is progress while recognising the fact that many challenges remain, number one being homelessness. At the end of quarter two, which is the last quarter I have full data on, we exited 630 households out of homelessness into safe and secure housing. We still need to do more and we need to accelerate that delivery. That is the challenge we have and I am confident we will do it.