Dail Éireann · 2024-10-22
Part of Other Questions (Resumed)
Party shown is the one held on 2024-10-22, frozen at parse time — not the speaker's party today.
80. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social housing units delivered by the local authorities in Galway city and county in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; the targets in respect of each of those years for each local authority; the number of same that are new builds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42870/24]
This is a very specific question on the number of social housing units delivered by the local authorities in Galway city and council in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the targets set in respect of them. In 2022, the build target for Galway city was 305 and for Galway county the build target was 230. In 2023, the build target for the city was 219 and for Galway county it was 351.
In 2020, the build target was 224 for Galway city and for Galway county the build target was 358. The LDA will be heavily involved, as Deputy Connolly knows, in Galway city. We can compare and contrast delivery in Galway with comparable local authorities throughout the country.
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This is a very specific question on the number of social housing units delivered by the local authorities in Galway city and council in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and the targets set in respect of them. Have the targets been achieved?
I will get Deputy Connolly more detail on this as I do not have the full supplementary reply. In 2022, the build target for Galway city was 305 and for Galway county the build target was 230. In 2023, the build target for the city was 219 and for Galway county it was 351. In 2020, the build target was 224 for Galway city and for Galway county the build target was 358. I do not have to hand the delivery target or what has been delivered against the target. I can certainly get that for Deputy Connolly.
There is strong delivery in County Galway. Two weeks ago, I was very pleased to sign off on the first affordable rental scheme in the south Connemara Gaeltacht, in Barna. There is also very strong delivery through the Croí Cónaithe grant scheme and with regard to social housing. There are a couple of projects with regard to affordable housing in Merlin that I have visited. They are not built yet and I would like to see them built. They should be built. I am frustrated with that. The affordable housing fund is there for local authorities to access. It is there and we have given approvals. I do not have the delivery information to hand. I will get it to Deputy Connolly tomorrow. It is not in the brief for the questions. I do not want to give an answer that is not correct. I will get the information to Deputy Connolly tomorrow.
I thank the Minister. That-----
Can I have one minute?
Okay.
I appreciate the Minister will get back to me tomorrow. I read all of the task force minutes, although they were delivered late. I do my best to keep up. I am still waiting on the minutes of two meetings. They have never reached their targets. This is why the task force continues to sit, albeit under a new name. It has been sitting since 2018 because we had a housing emergency. It has repeatedly failed to deliver the targets. Galway has land and public housing should be built on it. This is not what is happening. It is simply not happening. We are getting grant schemes for the future with absolutely no hope of delivery in the foreseeable future. No affordable houses have been delivered. I ask the Minister to tell me if I am wrong and I will be the first to say sorry. No affordable housing has been built. Some of the schemes the Government visited in Connemara have not got off the ground. A holiday scheme was opened by a voluntary body and it never got off the ground.
Thank you.
I will respond very quickly because I have the height of regard for Deputy Connolly. I can point to local authorities throughout the country that are exceeding the housing targets we have set.
I am just talking about Galway.
I know that but we have to contrast and compare as well with regard to how some local authorities can deliver at scale while we need to support others that are not delivering at scale. I encourage all local authorities, which have more funding than they have ever had. That is why we will exceed social housing targets for new builds this year. We will exceed our affordable housing delivery this year. I am very anxious to see more homes built in the county and city of Galway. The LDA will be heavily involved, as Deputy Connolly knows, in Galway city. The housing authorities shoulder a lot of responsibility for delivery. It is not for the lack of funding at Government level. It is not for the lack of ambition but we need to see more delivery. Galway is the area represented by Deputy Connolly. We can compare and contrast delivery in Galway with comparable local authorities throughout the country.
That concludes Question Time.