Housing for All: First quarterly progress report published
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
The government today published the first quarterly progress report under Housing for All, A new Housing Plan for Ireland.
Housing for All commits to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade, backed by unprecedented levels of government investment in social and affordable housing.
The report showed the delivery rate for the plan to date stands at 91%, with 10 of 11 measures delivered on schedule.
In addition to the progress made in implementation of the plan, Q3 has also seen a welcome rise in key indicators of activity in the Housing sector, such as commencements and completions.
A number of measures have been achieved in Q3, including:
Housing for All provides for an optimal mix of social, affordable and private housing for sale and rent. It provides for sustainable and high-quality housing in well-planned communities across Ireland. It is underpinned by measures to support availability of the land, workforce, funding and capacity to enable both the public and private sectors to meet the targets outlined in the plan.
An unprecedented €12 billion in direct exchequer funding for social and affordable housing has been allocated through the National Development Plan for the period to 2025.
Budget 2022 made €4 billion in Exchequer funding available for housing in 2022, the single biggest allocation by any government in a year.
Budget 2022 also included a series of measures to align with the objectives of the plan, including extending the Help to Buy Scheme to support affordability and the introduction of tax reforms to support further availability of land.
On 28 September, the government announced a review of planning legislation, another key enabler in the delivery of the plan’s objectives. The review, which will be overseen by the Attorney General and a dedicated working group of professionals with planning law expertise, will improve the functioning of the planning process and improve Ireland’s national competitiveness.
Commenting on the publication of the report, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:
“Housing remains the single most urgent and important social issue facing our country. I am delighted to see this early progress in the implementation of Housing for All, particularly the focus on affordability measures highlighted in the Quarter Three report. Over the past number of weeks, Government has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the delivery of the plan. The revised National Development Plan saw an unprecedented allocation of €12bn to provide social and affordable housing.
"The government’s focus on boosting housing supply and increasing access to affordable housing was also evident from Budget 2022. In addition to investment in many of the measures outlined in Housing for All, the tax reforms introduced in Budget 2022 will incentivise greater development and play an important role in increasing housing supply.
"I remain confident that by working together to implement Housing for All, this government can deliver a long-term sustainable housing system for this and future generations."
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said:
"The government is determined to achieve its goal of ensuring that many more people can own their own home. This first Housing for All report shows that progress is being made. The biggest social house-building programme in generations is underway. More than 20,000 new homes are being built annually and this number is rising. The Help to Buy Scheme has approved more than 28,500 applications so far to help people raise a deposit to buy their first home. This is a policy that many in the Opposition want to scrap. I look forward to further progress in the coming year."
The Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan, emphasised the importance of environmental sustainability in achieving a sustainable housing system:
"Sustainability is an underlying and enabling seam across the four pathways in Housing for All. In demonstrating our commitment to transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient society, Government has allocated €202 million from carbon tax revenue for residential and community retrofit schemes (over 22,000 home energy upgrades in total). More than half of the funding will be for free upgrades for low-income households at risk of energy poverty.
"The forthcoming Climate Action Plan will outline further measures to achieve a sustainable housing system."
Commenting on progress since publication of the Plan, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien said:
“Despite it being just a little over six weeks since publication of Housing for All, considerable progress has been made in implementing a number of important elements of the Plan.
"The review of our planning laws, approved by Government in September, will bring about fundamental improvements and support the accelerated delivery of housing. It is a further demonstration of this government’s commitment to responding with ambition and commitment to the challenge of our time.
"€4 billion is being made available for housing in 2022. This is the single biggest allocation for housing investment by any government in a year, and represents a 20% increase on 2021. It includes investment of over €400m in measures to support homeownership and increase access to affordable homes, as well as €194m to provide emergency accommodation and other services to households experiencing homelessness.
"This record investment will happen in parallel with major measures and reforms committed to under Housing for All and I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues across Government as we drive forward implementation of the Plan in quarter four and beyond."
These four pathways are underpinned by a range of actions to enable a sustainable housing system.
‘Housing for All’ contains the following supply targets: