Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

85. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will report on rental prices in County Meath; how he plans to address these high costs and to increase the housing available for rent in Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24420/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016, taking account of the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords, introduced a targeted Rent Predictability Measure to moderate rent increases in those parts of the country where rents are highest and rising fastest. Section 24A of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 provides that the Housing Agency, in consultation with housing authorities, may make a proposal to me, as Minister, that an area should be considered as a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ). For the purpose of the Act, ‘area’ is defined as either the administrative area of a housing authority or a Local Electoral Area (LEA) within the meaning of section 2 of the Local Government Act 2001.

There are 6 LEAs in County Meath, all of which were designated as RPZs on the following dates :

• Laytown-Bettystown on 27 January 2017
• Ratoath on 27 January 2017
• Ashbourne 27 January 2017
• Navan on 28 March 2019
• Kells 2 July 2019
• Trim 2 July 2019

The Government’s Housing for All plan is focused on tackling supply and affordability issues, including those in the rental market. Additional supply of homes of all tenures including social, cost rental and affordable purchase is key to addressing the challenges in the rental sector. Under Housing for All supply is increasing. Overall, the number of new homes delivered last year was the highest in fifteen years, with 32,695 new homes completed in 2023, 10% higher than in 2022 and exceeding Housing for All’s 2023 target of 29,000 by almost 13%.

Almost 12,000 new social homes were delivered in 2023, which represents the highest level of delivery of new-build social housing in half a century. Over 4,000 affordable homes were delivered in 2023. There are over 1,600 Cost Rental homes in the State delivered by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), local authorities and the LDA, with a further pipeline of 1,437 local authority Cost Rental homes across thirteen projects. The record €5.1bn capital investment in housing, announced in Budget 2024, is the highest ever in the history of the State and will ensure Government can build on the increased supply in recent years and continue to deliver new affordable homes for purchase and rent at pace.

My Department is working with Approved Housing Bodies, with State support under the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) scheme, to deliver new Cost Rental homes for renters in Meath. The Clúid AHB delivered the very first Cost Rental homes in Meath, 22 houses in Trim, at the end of 2022. My Department is funding another AHB project of 54 new homes elsewhere in the county, scheduled for delivery this year, and further details of these homes will be announced closer to the point of launch. My Department and the Housing Agency continue to work with AHBs to identify and develop future projects.