Last year, when Poolbeg had run into the sand and there was nothing happening with the site, I held a round-table meeting in the Custom House with all interested parties, including residents and local representatives. I want to see the site move forward, but it will move forward only if a reasonable deal can be done. I want that to happen. As I said, I briefed residents just yesterday evening. It is a very important site, and I want to see it progressed, but we will not see it progressed at all costs to the Exchequ…

I thank the Deputy for his question. I am happy to advise the Deputy that both Cork City Council and South Dublin County Council will be delivering affordable purchase homes this year. Cork City Council has advised that 117 affordable purchase homes will be delivered in the Boherboy Road in Cork City. The first two phases of this development involving 37 homes will be delivered this year and Cork City Council has advised my Department, and we have been working with it, that this scheme will be advertised for applic…

There will be a substantial number of affordable homes delivered this year and even more next year. The pipeline within the Deputy's own constituency, in South Dublin County Council, is very strong. We are adding to that through the advance purchase arrangements. One can look at Rathcoole where there are 100 affordable homes, in Clonburris there are 184 and in Killinarden there are 372. This is the start of it. The issue that obtained specifically in Kilcarbery is being resolved. We have other affordable purchase h…

Aside from what will be delivered through the first home shared equity scheme in South Dublin County Council there are more than 1,100 affordable homes in the pipeline between now and 2026. We will have thousands more through the first home shared equity scheme that will launch in July. It will give first-time buyers and those on the fresh start principle the opportunity and choice to be able to buy homes in private estates, with the State stepping in to help to bridge the affordability gap by taking equity. With r…

We are doing something about it.

Will the Deputies stop?

The Deputies should try to behave themselves. They were doing well up to then.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 81 together. Following the Government decision of 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme, the Government approved the remediation of dwellings damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and I intend to progress the legislation before the end of term in order to ensure we can have the scheme ready for homeowners to access by the end of the year. There are hearings today that the Oireachtas joint committee wi…

We want to get the scheme up and running. Apologies, I did not realise Deputy Mac Lochlainn was to ask a question.

I thank the Deputies. I have been very clear. We need scientific evidence on this and it is being done independently through the review by the NSAI of the standard. We need scientific research and testing on infill as well. If the Deputies were on this side of the House they would do the same. We need to bring forward the legislative basis to provide for what is effectively a new scheme. This scheme is night and day different from the one in 2020. That should be acknowledged too. There is the second grant option, t…

The Deputies can trust me on this----

Is this permitted?

No one will dispute the level of work that has gone into bringing about this legislation. When Deputies look at what is in it and see the published Bill later today in the hearings, it is a significant improvement on the previous scheme that was simply set up by way of regulation itself and was not on a sound footing. I said yesterday in response to Deputy Ó Broin that I will continue, as I have done over the last year, to engage directly with residents and Opposition Members. We will work through Committee Stage o…

This is an important matter. I will give the Deputy the official response as to what the target is. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority in accordance with eligibility and need criteria set down in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. The regulations require that local authorities, subject to conditions, deal with social housing applications within 12 weeks. Local authorities prioritise housing needs assessments for those in greatest need and seek to proce…

I understand the point. We actually simplified the form and made some changes to it last year to ensure that it was in compliance with the plain English guide. We simplified the form and removed some questions that were not required. An application to put someone on the list for social housing is obviously an important application. The Deputy is right that there is a parallel process with the HAP application. Before I say what we will do next, we track local authorities’ average processing times. I have them to the…

There is no question about me agreeing with the Deputy. I meet with the CEOs on a regular basis. We engage with and meet them individually. I have had two recent housing summits where all chief executives and directors of service for housing from all 31 local authorities attended. That was very much focused on housing delivery. As I mentioned earlier, we will deliver more social homes this year than in any year in the history of the State. That is being supported very well by our colleagues in local government. On …

As outlined in my response to an earlier question, two affordable housing fund supported schemes will deliver affordable housing in Cork city this year. Cork City Council has advised my Department that the first two phases of the Boherboy Road project in Cork city, involving a total of 117 affordable purchase homes, will see 37 of those homes completed. They will be advertised for purchase in July. In addition, the advance purchase development at Cluain Chaoin in Tower will deliver 36 affordable purchase homes in t…

There are further advance purchase schemes coming to us that are under consideration by me and the Department, because the affordable housing fund is open. It is an open call where we bring schemes forward, so the Deputy will see more than this being delivered. The Deputy will also see the first home scheme, which will support affordable purchases of new homes in the private market, and that will operate nationwide. It is targeted at first-time buyers or those eligible under the fresh start principle. The scheme wi…

I thank the Deputy for his question and for raising the important issue of defective blocks. As he rightly stated, the Bill is detailed and complex legislation. By the way, it has not been delayed. There has been weekly, if not daily, engagement with homeowners and I have endeavoured to engage with Opposition parties. I wrote to the Deputy directly with many detailed questions a number of months ago that he publicly committed to responding to, which he has not done. That is his wont, which is okay. Let us consider …

I assure the Deputy that, as I have done with all Bills that I have brought before the House, many of which I have received support for from Opposition benches, I will work through the legislation and we will consider any amendment to it as we move through the process. It is fair to say that tomorrow's meeting will give an opportunity for residents to put forward their views. There have been guarded welcomes for this scheme from some quarters. Everyone accepts that it is a greatly improved scheme, one that is found…