12% increase in funding for 2024 
€74.5m exchequer funding combined with local authority contribution ensures over €93 million available to deliver 13,000 grants 
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Alan Dillon TD, have today (30 May 2024) announced the individual allocations to local authorities of the overall €93 million fund for Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and Disabled People. This represents a 12% national increase in allocations (an increase of €8 million) in 2024, continuing the year-on-year increases in the grant since 2014.
Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and Disabled People assist with the necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works in order to make the accommodation more suitable to the needs of older and disabled people supporting them to live in their homes. 
80% of the grant comes from Exchequer funding through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The remaining 20% in funding comes from the relevant local authority which administers the scheme. 
Commenting today Minister O’Brien said:
“I am delighted that we are able to allocate increased funding in 2024 to ensure delivery of these much needed grants which will allow local authorities to continue to support older and disabled people to live independently and in their own homes. As I travel around the country I am regularly meeting and speaking with people who have received assistance through these grants and the difference they make in helping people to live independently for as long as possible is remarkable. These grants also support local economies, creating employment opportunities for local contractors and businesses which is very important.”  
Grants of up to €30,000 are available to assist disabled people carry out necessary works to make a house more suitable for their needs. Additionally, grants of up to €8,000 are available to assist older people to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out on their homes and grants of up to €6,000 are available for mobility aids.  
When combined with the local authority contribution, funding of over €93 million in 2024 will deliver some 13,000 grants for older people and disabled people to facilitate them living independently in their own homes.
Minister Dillon added:
“I am pleased that funding for our local authorities to administer this scheme has continued to increase year on year since 2014. This Government is committed to this scheme as these grants are fundamental in aiding older and disabled people in their daily lives. These grants have such a positive impact on the home life of the many beneficiaries and play a vital role in helping disabled people and people who are reaching an age in life when they are less mobile, to continue to live independently in their own homes. 
“As Minister of State with responsibility for housing for older people and disabled people, I am fully committed to supporting individuals to remain at home and within their own communities for as long as possible. The funding announced today will facilitate this goal for many.”
Housing for All commits to reviewing the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme. The Department is continuing engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on the recommendations in a report on the review of the range of housing grants. The review has been prepared with a view to publishing the final report and bringing forward amendments to the relevant Regulations governing the schemes as soon as possible.

Estimated potential yield of 5,406 homes
All 31 Local Authorities make submissions under URDF Call 3

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD has updated Cabinet on the third call under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). 
The third round of URDF was announced in January last year and specifically targeted at addressing long term vacancy and dereliction across cities and towns and at the provision of residential accommodation.

The update provided by Minister O’Brien today shows that 1,224 vacant and derelict properties in URDF areas have been identified and approved under the scheme and that the estimated residential yield from these properties is 5,406 homes. 

The fund is available to all Local Authorities to cover the purchase price of properties (residential and commercial) and any minor works required to make the property more suitable for sale e.g. improving access, tidying up, opening up to facilitate inspections etc. 

Acquired properties are then offered for private sale to those who in return will commit to bringing the property back into residential use. Purchasers of these properties are also able to defray the costs of returning them to use by accessing the Vacant and Derelict Property Refurbishment Grant, the SEAI energy efficiency grants or the Repair and Leasing Scheme subject to eligibility. 

To date €142.5M has been allocated across all 31 Local Authorities under Call 3. 

Commenting Minister O’Brien said: 
“I’m delighted to update Cabinet on the success of the third round of funding under the URDF. The response from Local Authorities has been huge with more than 1,200 properties in town centre locations identified and approved funding which amounts to just over €142M. This Government have placed a huge emphasis on the regeneration and rejuvenation of towns all across the country and as I travel around Ireland it’s heartening to see the impact of the various initiatives which are underway to transform towns and cities.”

Minister Dillon added: 
“The URDF has been a real game-changer for our towns and cities, breathing new life into them and making them even better places to work in, to live in and to visit. Urban regeneration isn’t a luxury, but a real necessity for the beating heart of our urban centres and I’m delighted to see it in action across so many counties.” 

Minister Noonan concluded: 

“The most sustainable buildings we have are the ones which already exist and Call 3 under the URDF is ensuring we put them to their best use. The URDF is evidence of this Government’s commitment to improving quality of life in urban centres, making them more accessible, inclusive and liveable for all.”

Twenty-six town centres are set to benefit from funding of up to €200K each under THRIVE, the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, awarded under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes. THRIVE was developed by the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly, working in close partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It aims to allow Local Authorities and citizens to reimagine and revitalise town centres though the renovation and reuse of publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings. 
 
Funding has been awarded in respect of the following town centres: Newcastle West, Thurles, Nenagh, Clonmel, Longford Town, Ennis, Shandon Cork, Tralee, Killarney, Kings Island Limerick, Drogheda, Clonakilty, Kilkenny, Dun Laoghaire, Kilmainham, Lucan, Ballina, Ballinasloe, Carrick-On-Shannon, Cavan Town, Galway City, Letterkenny, Monaghan Town, Roscommon Town, Sligo and Tuam.


Commenting on the awards, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said: 
"This Government have placed a huge emphasis on the regeneration and rejuvenation of towns all across the country and I really welcome the €5M which is being announced today for these 26 towns under THRIVE. As I travel across the country I am seeing the impact of the various initiatives which are underway to transform towns, making them even better places to live in, work in and visit. This fund is empowering communities to shape the future of their town centres by identifying opportunities which will help ensure the long-term vitality of our urban hubs. I very much look forward to seeing the impact this scheme will have and the resulting substantial regeneration which will strengthen the economic, social, and cultural vibrancy of towns throughout Ireland.”
 
Welcoming the funding awards, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Alan Dillon TD said:
 
“Our towns and villages are the beating heart of rural Ireland. The Town Centre First Initiative is revitalising our communities the length and breath of the country. This initial tranche of funding under THRIVE will facilitate the development and enhancement of integrated urban strategies using a Town Centre First Approach and will assist local authorities to identify suitable projects and ensure they are ready to commence capital works. It is great to see 26 towns across the country, including Ballina, Co Mayo progressing as the first ever Towns under the initiative. The next tranche of funding will support those capital works, helping our local authorities to preserve, enhance, transform and celebrate heritage buildings while rejuvenating their town centres for generations to come. 
 
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan said: 
“THRIVE will support local authorities, not only in protecting and preserving underused heritage buildings, but also ensuring their long term sustainability through their renovation and adaptive reuse. This funding will also promote increased public awareness and appreciation of the valuable built heritage in our town centres as part of the delivery of Town Centre First policy. ”
David Kelly, Director of the Southern Regional Assembly, said:
 
“The ERDF Regional Programmes play a critical role in supporting national and regional policy objectives but also a key European policy objective to bring Europe closer to its citizens. As part of this, THRIVE funding will help local authorities to engage with their citizens to work with them to identify vacant or derelict heritage buildings that, when renovated and repurposed, can have a transformative effect on town centres.” 
 
Denis Kelly, Director of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly said:
 
“The Regional Assemblies are committed to balanced regional development and the revitalisation of our towns as outlined in our Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies. With the support of the Government, THRIVE is leveraging ERDF funding to support community-led heritage regeneration projects, empowering local authorities and communities across the regions to unlock the full potential of their heritage assets”.  
 
Local authorities in receipt of funding will be promoting the values and working principles of the New European Bauhaus – an initiative of the European Union – in their strategies and projects to ensure their projects are sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, inclusive and accessible.
 
The Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly are currently evaluating THRIVE Strand 2 applications and expect to make awards for the first set of capital works projects under THRIVE in August 2024. Local authorities will have an opportunity to apply for another tranche of capital funding under THRIVE in a follow-on funding call in Spring 2025. 
 
THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027 and the Northern and Western Regional Programme 2021-2027. Further information is available on the websites of the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern & Western Regional Assembly at www.southernassembly.ie and www.nwra.ie  

Minister O’Brien doubles number of specialist staff to boost delivery of more affordable homes

• 71 additional posts announced to facilitate increased delivery of affordable homes
• over 4,000 affordable homes delivered in 2023, a 128% increase on 2022
• almost €11m in the past three weeks alone for delivery of 121 affordable purchase and cost rental homes, includes first affordable purchase homes in Gaeltacht

 
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien has today approved 71 new specialist and administrative posts to help ramp up the delivery of affordable housing throughout the country.
The Minister’s approval of these additional professional expert roles alongside administrative delivery teams increases the total complement to just over 140 staff in local authorities dedicated to delivering affordable housing. The new staff will ensure that our local authorities have increased levels of necessary in-house expertise in areas such as design, procurement, surveying, engineering and administration.
Minister O’Brien said;
“Last year, we delivered over 4,000 affordable homes, a 128% increase on 2022. I am determined to deliver much more to ensure affordable purchase and cost rental homes are built at scale in the period 2022-2030.”
“To achieve this, local authorities need staff with the right skillsets across a range of disciplines. These new posts will be solely dedicated to affordable housing delivery and will bring the required technical and specialist expertise to ensure the current robust pipeline of affordable homes is further increased.”
“My Department has been working with the Housing Delivery Coordination Office (HDCO) and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) to identify the additional staffing resources required to deliver more affordable homes and today’s sanctioning of additional resources is informed by their views. With these new positions, local authorities now possess increased capacity to meet our ambitious targets for affordable housing delivery.”
Affordable housing includes Affordable Purchase and Cost Rental Homes.
Affordable Purchase Homes: Local authorities make newly built homes available at a reduced price for first-time and other eligible buyers. The local authority takes a percentage stake in your home that covers the reduction in price.
Cost Rental Homes: Cost Rental provides you with a secure tenancy at a rent which is below the market rent in the local area. It is a long-term secure rental option. This means if you are paying your rent and meeting your other tenant obligations, you may continue to rent your home for as long as you want.
In the last three weeks alone, almost €11m has been provided for the delivery of 121affordable purchase and affordable cost rental homes:

• €4.37m towards the delivery of 32 affordable purchase and 20 Cost Rental homes in Cork
• €3m in funding to deliver 14 new affordable homes in the Galway Gaeltacht (first affordable purchase homes in Gaeltacht)
• €1.87m to assist with the development of 25 affordable purchase homes in Waterford
• €450,000 towards the delivery of 9 affordable purchase homes in Limerick
• €1.2m towards the delivery of 21 affordable purchase homes in Clare

 
Commenting on this latest round of approvals Minister O’Brien said,
“I am particularly pleased to have given approval for the first affordable purchase scheme in a Gaeltacht area. I appreciate that the number is small but what this Government is about is scaling up our delivery. In 2023 we managed to double the delivery of affordable homes when compared to 2022 and it’s my firm intention that we continue this trend,” he concluded.

• 30,138 new home commencements in first four months of 2024
• Increase in new home starts boosted by development levy waiver and Uisce Éireann connection charge rebate

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage today published its monthly data on the number of Commencement Notices (residential construction starts) for April 2024. Highlights include:

• The data shows a significant spike in activity with 18,182 homes commenced in April alone, up 605% on the same period of 2023.
• This is by far the highest seen in any month since the series began in 2014 (the previous highest monthly figure ever was 4,969 In May 2021).
• To date in 2024 (January to April), 30,138 new homes have begun construction – up 204% on the same four-month period of 2023. This figure for these four months of 2024 represents 92% of the total (32,801) for the whole of 2023.
• In the last 12 months (May 2023 to April 2024) construction on 53,011 homes has commenced.

Reflecting on the figures and progress made, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said:
“We have never before seen new home starts at this level and April’s numbers are hugely impressive. Indeed, so far in 2024, on average we have witnessed construction begin on approximately 350 new homes every working day. It is quite clear that the development levy waiver and Uisce Éireann connection charge rebate, which were introduced last year, have helped to fast track greater activity and have made many more projects viable and I was happy to recently receive Cabinet approval to extend both of these.
“While these numbers are truly record breaking, they will also be life-changing for the many new residents who will benefit from these projects when they are complete. An important element of the continuation of the waiver was the condition that the homes be completed by the end of 2026. Our interventions are starting to make a significant difference and we will continue to use every tool available to us to build on this momentum.”
Of the 18,182 units commenced in April 2024, 47% are scheme dwellings, 45% are apartments and 8% are for one-off units.
Of all the homes commenced last month, 33% were in the four Dublin local authorities. By local authority, the most units commenced were in Dublin City (2,656) followed by Cork City (2,394) and Fingal (1,500).
With the exception of Monaghan (which still had an impressive 85% increase), all local authorities have seen at least a doubling (more than 100% increase) in commencements from April 2023 to April 2024 with some growing by more than 10 times.
The full commencement data set can be accessed at: Construction Activity Statistics