Housing Provision
Dail Éireann — 2021-06-03
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

I thank Deputy Gould for tabling this Topical Issue matter. It is a very serious issue. I remind the Deputy that the best way to build houses is, if he could advise his colleagues, to stop objecting to houses. The Deputy quotes the ESRI, but it is very interesting that he does not quote the ESRI on the property tax, which is a progressive tax the Deputy is also against, and he is against carbon tax. Yet, the Deputy is advocating what the State should borrow. That is called "fantasy economics".
Increasing the supply of public, social and affordable homes is priority for this Government. It is the number one priority for the Government, which the Taoiseach has clearly stated, to deliver the housing and the housing policies to ensure that everyone has access to a home, whether it be social, affordable, a home to rent or a home to buy.
The programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver 50,000 new social homes with a focus on new-build homes. Local authorities will be central to increasing the supply of new-build social housing and my Department is working closely with the local government sector to ensure that they have capacity to deliver this ambitious programme. We will ensure that local authorities have the required technical expertise to initiate, develop and deliver new housing schemes, with a particular focus on project management. The Deputy will be aware that Cork has borrowed to deliver significant development on the St. Kevin's former hospital site, and other huge sites in the Deputy's constituency.
In 2021, the Government's commitment to increase the supply of public housing is underpinned by a record budget of €3.3 billion to deliver our housing programmes. In addition to the Exchequer investment in housing programmes, the Housing Finance Agency, under my aegis, is on hand to advance funds to local authorities and approved housing bodies for use in the delivery of housing. Under difficult circumstances, the Housing Finance Agency has had a net loan book increase of €545 million in 2020. We must consider this in the context of the backdrop of Covid-19.
Despite the restrictions, 2020 was a record year for approved housing body business with loan approvals of €1 billion. Gross loan advances of €773 million in the year brought the total loan book to a record €5.2 billion, making a significant and invaluable contribution to housing delivery in Ireland.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2021-06-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:49:22+00:00
Sitting date: 2021-06-03