James Browne: Supply, not rent freezes, will fix housing

Thank you very much, Cathaoirleach. I do thank Sinn Féin deputies for initiating this motion and for colleagues for their contributions as well which is a very important debate. I do want to, I suppose, acknowledge I couldn't be here earlier but I was meeting with Oliver Bond residents down in the Customs House and I had been arranged before this PMB but of course I will obviously get the transcript and read back everything as well to have full knowledge of everything that has been said. As I previously acknowledged to the House that the housing is the defining social and economic challenge of our time that is affecting almost every single family right across this country and it is my absolute focus since I became Minister for Housing to address this crisis. It is the greatest single issue, as I say, facing so many families and working people who aspire to secure a home of their own, be that to own, be that to be rent or whether it's a social home. I recognise the strain that can be caused by the scarcity of rental accommodation and very much that the rent pressures that accompany that. It is for this reason that the Government is laser focused on increasing the supply of homes, of all types of homes, social homes, rental homes and of course homes to purchase as well. Only a sustained increase in the supply of homes of all tenures can solve this problem, however in the meantime we have to do everything we can while that supply is being driven to ensure that those who are finding themselves in a very difficult situation, whether it's paying high rents, whether it's not able to find somewhere to rent, whether it's facing a notice to quit or find ourselves in a homeless situation, that we can help them as much as possible. I want to reassert this Government's commitment and the determination to tackle the challenges in the housing sector and the Government's goal remains a housing system that meets everybody's needs, everybody's need on that spectrum. As I say, whether it's a social house, whether it's affordable purchase, whether it's a cost rental, whether it's to be able to rent or whether it's to be able to purchase their own home with or without Government supports and no one in Government underestimates the scale of the housing challenge and we must ensure that we enhance supply as much as possible. That supply is a means to an end and that is so people can have the home that they need in their own local community. An eviction ban and a rent freeze in my view would have a significant impact in deterring medium and longer term supply of rental accommodation. It would act as a disincentive to landlords who are considering entering the rental market and as a spur for existing landlords to leave. As previously stated, the latest data published by the RTB shows continued resilience in the Irish rental sector with ongoing growth both in terms of tenancies and the number of landlords as well. We need a supply of homes of all types and tenures, as I say, in every place. We're working tirelessly to address these challenges and to implement policies that make a positive difference. While there is so much to do, the motion initiated by Sinn Féin deputies I think does not fairly represent the efforts or the progress made to date. It is important that I reiterate the real progress we have made in recent years, including those relating to social and affordable housing delivery and to set out the key changes introduced and our plans ahead to scale up the supply of homes across all tenures. The record level of investment for the delivery of housing continues into 2026, with €5.2 billion in exchequer capital funding complemented by investment through the LDE and the lending from the housing finance agency bringing the total capital funding for housing in 2026 to over €9 billion. This record level of funding is supporting the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes. The 2026 capital funding will be supplemented by over €2 billion in current funding to address housing needs. Between July 2020 and the end of 2025, 58,816 social homes have been added to the social housing stock and more than 15,271 homes were brought back into use under the VOIDS programme. Local authorities are delivering affordable homes with funding approves of almost €691 million from the affordable housing fund to support the delivery of over 7,650 affordable purchase and cost rental homes by 25 local authorities. Indeed, over the last five years, almost 149,000 new homes have been delivered. This is significant progress that needs to be recognised, but we have an awful lot more to do. The Government has implemented a range of measures in recent years to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social and affordable housing and private rental. The recently enacted Residential Tenancies Miscellaneous Provisions Act of 2026 introduced a new national rent control for the first time across all tenancies, which limits rent increases to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index up to a maximum of 2%. These changes were introduced to promote a greater investment in the rental market and increase the supply of rental properties, but also to give greater protection to tenants. Ireland is facing a shortage of rental homes, especially apartments. The reform aims to encourage investment and development. It will take time for a new supply to materialise, given the nature of investment decisions and large-scale residential development. Affordability is also very much at the heart of the Government's housing policy, as embodied within our housing plan delivering homes and building communities. With the Government targeting delivery of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes and 90,000 affordable supports. The plan reinforces the range of existing measures implemented by Government to tackle the issues of supply and affordability, thereby supporting the increased provision of new homes to purchase and rent. Record levels of social and affordable housing delivery have been achieved in recent years. In 2025, a total of 9,089 new-built social homes were constructed. This is the highest delivery on record since the foundation of the State. It is an increase of 1,256, or 16%, compared to 2024. Over 42,000 new-built social homes have been delivered between 2022 and 2025. I am also providing substantial funding to local authorities, the Land Development Agency and approved housing bodies to support the increased delivery and the National Development Plan, which has committed record levels of funding for new social and affordable homes, while a record level of investment is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2026. Since the launch of cost rental in 2021, around £2.25 billion in exchequer funding has been approved for cost rental projects. Beyond my Department, very significant loan funding is also being provided from the State's Housing Finance Agency, and the lowering of VAT on new apartments to 9% under Budget 2026 will also assist in delivering new homes in the cost rental sector at lower costs, meaning lower rents. Of course, we know that the people who are suffering the most are those who have found themselves in homelessness as a result of not being able to get homes to live in, or as a result of facing that notice to quit and ultimately being evicted. We do have record levels of preventions, but where someone does become homeless, we want to make sure that they exit it as quickly as possible, and while there, are provided with the supports they need. And they need supports not just about a roof over their head, but of course, in a very distressing situation when you're homeless, we know it impacts on people. We know it impacts on their social lives. We know it impacts on their mental health. And one person homeless is one too many. And we have a way, the numbers are to me are unacceptable that we have in homelessness. Housing delivery at scale and pace we require is not something the government can achieve alone, however. Nor is this something that any one sector, agency or profession can deliver in isolation. It depends on partnership between central and local government, between the public and private sectors, between planners, developers, infrastructure providers, financers and communities themselves, so we can deliver the homes we need right across this country. To achieve the delivery of 300,000 new homes under delivering homes and building communities, as I say, requires an estimated 20 billion euros of development finance per year. And as we all recognise, that level of investment is being sought in a highly competitive international market. So while the government is providing record funding, we cannot provide every piece of funding that is required to deliver every home. We have to deliver schools, we have to deliver hospitals, we have to deliver roads, we have to create that investment as well in other public sectors that need that support for our local communities. One of the key challenges identified is apartment viability. As part of delivering homes and building communities, government has introduced a suite of complementary measures, including the introduction of 9% VAT on the sale of apartments that could reduce the delivery costs of those apartments. A fourth call for expressions of interest under the Cree City scheme, which provides affordable purchase apartments, was issued in July of last year, and the scheme is helping to activate the thousands of planning permissions for apartments in our cities. The Housing Activation Office was established last year to accelerate home building by unblocking infrastructure delays and by coordinating investment in service zone land. This office supports public-effects infrastructure planning and investment for the delivery of new sustainable communities and transport-orientated development as well. The office, which is headed up by new Deputy Secretary-General for Housing Activation, has undertaken both informal and informal engagement with various stakeholders, local authorities, agencies and the private sector as well, to ensure we are all coordinated in maximising delivery of homes right across this country. I thank you very much for your time in relation to this. I do apologise for not being here earlier, but as I say, it was a pre-engagement with those residents from Oliver Bond House.