John Cummins
Waterford · Fine Gael · Ireland
“To ensure a structured and comprehensive examination of the issues, the task force was organised under four work themes: structures, funding, functions and governance and accountability within the local government sector.”
“At the outset, I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important issue this morning. I am acutely aware of the strong interest that exists within this House in matters relating to local government.”
“Engagement took place with a wide range of organisations and representative bodies, including employer and employee representatives, community and voluntary organisations, academic experts and other key stakeholders.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2026, Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.”
“In that context, I welcome the opportunity to address the House and to provide an update on the progress made today in advancing that recommendation and strengthening local democracy more generally.”
“The task force was charged with delivering its report within the challenging timeframe of six to nine months. However, considerable preparatory work already completed across the sector provided a strong foundation and enabled that timeline to be achieved. The task force, as the Senator rightly pointed out, was chaired by Mr.”
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“I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on his new role and I congratulate Senators on their election or appointment to the House. It is good to be back here for the second time this week. I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important matter. We soldiered together on the joint committee on housing over the past five years. All things housing are important to the Senator, everyone else in the House and me. As the Senator rightly pointed out, the programme for Government commits to continuing to support rural one-off housing. My Department is considering how best to proceed with updating the rural housing guidelines to bring this matter to a conclusion.”
“The planning system will play an integral role in these efforts to achieve our targets and our focus will be on implementing the reforms I have set out and leaving no stone unturned in seeking additional levers within the planning system to aid these efforts to provide housing options to persons such as those I outlined last week. I congratulate the commission again on the work it has done and the impact it is clearly having an Government thinking. There is much alignment with the planning reform under way and the views of the commission. We will continue to consult the commission's report as we consider other opportunities to realise our ambitions on housing, which I know we all share across this Chamber.”
“We will need to focus on enabling the delivery of apartments again, including a focus on reversing the retrenchment of institutional capacity which has provided the funding for much of the apartments built in our cities in recent times, while also investing in the Land Development Agency, LDA, to unlock apartments at scale, which is what is in its pipeline. The immediate focus of Government is on using all levers at our disposal to build on the increase in supply seen during the term of Housing for All and to strive to reach the credible and ambitious target of delivering more than 300,000 new homes by 2030.”
“Earlier this month, my Department made a joint submission, with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Irish Planning Institute to request the inclusion of the occupation of town planning officer on the critical skills occupation list. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is considering this request. As the Minister rightly pointed out, there has been a step change in delivery in recent years, despite the disappointing dip in completions that was experienced in 2024. It is clear that while we experienced a 4.6% increase in the delivery of scheme houses, we simultaneously saw a reduction of 24% in apartment completions. This clearly impacts the 2024 output.”
“The positive impact of increased resources is already visible within An Bord Pleanála. This has brought about significant improvements in performance since the Government investment in the doubling of resources in the organisation. Of course, we need to see the remaining backlog cleared by the board as urgently as possible. Sanction has been granted since October 2023 for an additional 213 permanent full-time posts in local authority planning departments. My Department is continuing to engage with the local government sector regarding the next phase of staffing.”
“New legislation with statutory decision-making timelines, the need to review and update development plans, as well as the important role the planning system has in tackling land activation, vacancy and dereliction, all bring this need into sharp focus. Recognising this, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, published a ministerial action plan for planning resources last year. This action plan provides a detailed roadmap to increase the pool of planning and related expertise needed to ensure the planning system is fit for future needs. These actions are already being progressed and will be driven by a steering group put in place to oversee the plan's implementation. The action plan, supported by recent investment in ring-fenced resources for local authority planning staff, prioritises the staffing of the local government sector, in particular.”
“It will also enable strategic planning for transport-orientated development in and around our five cities to support the delivery of new sustainable communities at brownfield and greenfield locations along existing or planned high-capacity public transport corridors. Given the urgency and scale of the challenge facing us, it is essential that the updated housing requirements can be incorporated into the planning process and system as quickly as possible. As such, it is intended that local authorities will be required to update their development plans in line with a clear policy direction and accompanying methodology. The planning system must also be properly resourced with the requisite skill sets in place.”
“The revised NPF will provide the basis for the review and updating of regional, spatial and economic strategies and local authority development plans to reflect matters such as updated housing figures, projected jobs growth and renewable energy capacity allocations, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and a range of other purposes. The revised NPF sets out a need to plan for the delivery of approximately 50,000 additional homes per annum every year until 2040. The key next step is to discuss the spatial distribution of housing needs through updated planned housing requirements on a local authority by local authority basis. This will enable local authorities to zone more land for housing purposes to address emerging need and demand.”
“While I can appreciate the sense of urgency to commence the Act, we must ensure that the planning system continues to function efficiently and effectively while transition is under way and that those engaging with the system, including within the construction sector, have a line of sight in terms of when key changes will come into play. My Department has also been engaged since 2023 in the process of revising the national planning framework, NPF, to ensure that the planning policy framework is up to date and reflects the Government's priority objectives, particularly in relation to housing, climate change and infrastructure. The final draft revised NPF is now ready for approval by Government. Subject to that approval, it will be introduced into the Houses of the Oireachtas for final approval.”
“The Act will also introduce statutory timelines for decision-making and the streamlining of judicial review processes to ensure that delays will be reduced and investment decisions can be made with an expectation of when a decision on a planning application may be forthcoming. Under the Act, An Bord Pleanála will be renamed an coimisiún pleanála and its organisational structure is being changed to better meet its challenges and workload. In addition, a new advisory board will be introduced to the Office of the Planning Regulator. The commencement of the Act is a task of considerable scale and complexity and is a key priority of this Government. It will be commenced on a phased basis to facilitate the transition from the arrangements under the current Act to those under the new Act.”
“It will build on and enhance the existing plan-led approach to development whereby the national planning framework and the new national planning statements will set a very clear policy direction to reflect the Government's priorities for the future development of the country. This will in turn be reflected in regional strategies and local development plans, the latter being extended to ten years to allow for a more strategic planning approach at local level. Enhanced policy clarity will inform decision-making on the ground with greater certainty on expected outcomes for those seeking to undertake development, as well as for communities and interested parties.”
“Many of the ongoing areas of reform under way reflect the areas of interest of the commission. I will highlight progress on some of the key reforms in train to ensure the planning system can continue to support the delivery of housing across the country. The Planning and Development Act 2024 was signed into law last October. It followed a complete fitness check of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to identify the necessary reforms required to deliver the optimum planning system to meet the challenges we will face in the coming decades. The Act will bring greater consistency, clarity and certainty to the planning system.”
“I join the Minister in thanking the Housing Commission for its work. I commend each member of the commission on their efforts by any objective measure. The commission's report is an impressive piece of work and is having the intended impact on informing the policy debate and providing innovative ideas and solutions to the challenges we collectively face in the housing space. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has set out the thrust of the report and the key areas of focus of the Government's work that are being informed by the report. I intend to speak about the intersection of the commission's report and the reform of our planning system. The commission's work ran concurrently with a significant body of work to consolidate planning legislation and update the planning policy framework.”
“I implore councillors availing of the current scheme to do so because safety and security is of the utmost importance. I will work with the entire House to make progress on this issue.”
“It is important to state that Revenue does not have an issue with the 100% element. I have to make that business case to the Department of public expenditure regarding changes in that respect. The Senator has rightly pointed out that the lower amount for councillors, relative to the rate for Oireachtas Members, is in recognition of the fact that councillors do not, by and large, have offices. We must land at a figure for that business case but I am anxious for that process to be brought to a conclusion as early as possible. It is important to say that the existing scheme is still available. The commitment I will make is that should there be changes to the scheme, anybody making a claim under the existing requirements will not be negatively impacted.”
“As Minister of State with responsibility for local government, I am very clear that I want to see progress on this without delay because the security of councillors throughout this country is of the utmost importance to me.”
“I met with LAMA with the AILG today on a wide range of local government issues, but this is one of the matters that both organisations raised. Thus far, my officials have engaged with Revenue, which has indicated that there is no issue with the 100% element the Senator referred to. What my officials now have to do is make a business case to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. That business case is required to set out the rationale and evidence for any revision to the allowance, as well as its value and cost, and the ability of local authorities to meet the unforeseen costs that might arise in 2025.”
“In making that vouched claim, applicants have to get a written report from a crime prevention officer, which is a prerequisite for both the Oireachtas and local authority schemes, and the security measures have to be installed by Private Security Authority-registered installers. As the Senator said, there has been a change in respect of the Oireachtas scheme. One of my first acts as Minister of State, when I met the team in the Custom House regarding local government matters, was to raise the issue of the security allowance for councillors. As a former local authority member and a former Member of this House, I understand how important it is. I want to see progress made on this as early as possible.”
“I am sure we will all agree that all elected representatives should be free to carry out their functions and representational role without fear of harassment or intimidation. Heightened adversarial attitudes to elected representatives are corrosive to democratic participation. This risks deterring potential new candidates and induces existing representatives to withdraw from public life. As the Senator rightly pointed out, a scheme was introduced for local authority members that provides for up to €2,500 to be claimed back on expenditure of €5,000 on personal security on a once-off vouched basis. This is administered by local authorities. I asked for information regarding how many have drawn that down. Unfortunately, only 23 councillors have done so. The reason for that relates to many of the items the Senator pointed to.”
“Although it a little strange, it is fantastic to be back here in the Seanad Chamber for my first Commencement matter. I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this important matter, which I know all Members of the House will agree on. In the context of the recent revision of the security allowance made for Oireachtas Members, I have raised the issue with my officials. We want to make progress on it. I am grateful for the opportunity to go through what has been done on this matter thus far. As the Senator has rightly stated, local government plays an important role in the life of the nation. It is responsible for the delivery of a wide range of local services, and elected councils provide vital forums for the democratic representation of our local communities.”
“This will be notified to local authorities shortly. The motion claims that the Government is not doing enough. However, I believe we have securely laid the foundation and built a housing pipeline that will allow us to continue to ramp up delivery in the coming years. We will continue to invest at unprecedented levels to ensure that we build a sustainable housing system where, ultimately, supply meets demand. Budget 2025 provides for continued record investment in housing with Exchequer funding of €4.85 billion. This is supplemented by funding to the LDA. The Government is committed to working with Opposition parties and Deputies to ramp up the supply and delivery of housing. I look forward to working with Deputies in the period ahead.”
“As Members know, it was introduced in 2023 and extended into 2024. Local authorities bought 2,250 HAP and RAS homes with tenants in situ . These acquisitions were funded directly by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Government agrees it is important that local authorities have the option to purchase a property where a social housing tenant is at risk of homelessness due to a notice of termination. In addition, given that we are now seeing the highest delivery of social housing, local authorities also have to use other options such as allocating social housing tenancies to social tenants in the private sector availing of HAP and RAS who are in receipt of a valid notice of termination. That said, we are examining the scope for a further extension of the programme.”
“In order to achieve the level of housing completions that all of us in this House want to see, we need to have private sector investment as well as significant investment from the State. I do not see it as an either-or scenario but one where both work in tandem. Homelessness remains a serious concern and is a top priority for this Government. It is a complex issue requiring varying responses to suit different circumstances. It is also interrelated with other areas of the housing system. As a Government, we will continue to deploy a whole-of-government approach to address this significant issue. The motion calls for the Government to expand the tenant in situ acquisitions programme. Before coming to the Chamber, I listened to some of the contributions Deputies made in relation to the programme.”
“It is important to put the 2024 figures in context. It is clear that while we saw an increase of 4.6% in delivery of scheme houses, we simultaneously saw a reduction of 24% in apartment completions, which clearly impacted our output for 2024. While many Deputies will have different viewpoints. it is clear that there has been a significant drop-off in the level of institutional investment in the apartment sector. We all want to see a vibrant, affordable private rental sector with an abundant supply and choice with protections in place for renters. However, we can no longer allow the ill-informed commentary around private investment in the sector to continue. While the State has stepped up to become the largest player in the delivery of housing, we have to be honest and say that the State cannot do it all.”
“The strongest national delivery of social housing since 1975 was recorded in 2022 when more than 10,000 homes were delivered. This record was exceeded again in 2023 when 12,000 new social homes were delivered. The strength of the current pipeline coupled with the traditional surge in the final quarter suggests that a similar delivery output in 2024 will be achieved despite the overall dip in new home completions. Our ambition is to deliver much more, with a commitment to deliver a further 12,000 new-build social homes on average every year between now and 2030. We will continue to do so in partnership with local authorities and our other delivery partners. While the dip in overall delivery in 2024 was disappointing, as the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, pointed out, we remain on an upward trajectory.”
“Moreover, as the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, pointed out, the level of affordable housing supports provided in 2024 far outstrips 2023 delivery. The momentum will continue as the pipeline is developed by local authorities, approved housing bodies and the Land Development Agency. The supply of new-build social homes also continues to be at a level higher than it has been for many years. In the 12 months to quarter 3 last year, almost 11,400 new social homes were delivered through new build, acquisition and leasing. When the housing assistance payment and rental accommodation scheme are added in, the total level of social housing supports over the 12 months to the end of quarter 3 last year was in excess of 21,000.”
“Housing commencement notices also demonstrate encouraging trends, with 60,000 such notices issued last year. We are confident the majority of these, accelerated by targeted Government measures, will translate to new home completions in the next two years. We know there is significantly more work on site now than there was a year ago, a fact supported by yesterday's AIB PMI, that is, purchasing managers' index for construction survey, which confirmed a fifth consecutive month of expanding residential construction activity despite very poor weather in January. New home delivery will rebound this year, with a further increase expected next year. Between the launch of Housing for All and the end of the third quarter of 2024, more than 10,000 affordable housing supports were delivered.”
“The current plan is supported by a record €6 billion in capital investment in 2025, supporting initiatives already in place as well as the targeted delivery of 41,000 new homes this year. This will further increase the availability of starter homes to buy and rent through schemes such as the affordable purchase scheme, cost rental, the help-to-buy scheme, the first home scheme and the vacant property refurbishment grant. Since 2020, we have ramped up the delivery of social and affordable housing. From January 2020 to the end of 2024, the Government has overseen 146,000 houses being added to, or brought back into, the national housing stock, including more than 133,000 new builds, 1,900 units in unfinished housing developments and almost 11,000 vacant properties brought back into use.”
“We need to work collectively to achieve the goal shared by all of us to increase the delivery of housing. Some of the comments made this morning do not fairly represent the efforts and progress made to date. The motion asserts that Housing for All has failed and is not delivering. As the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, highlighted, more than 100,000 homes have been added to the national housing stock since Housing for All was published in 2021. Is it enough? Of course not but we have to acknowledge that Housing for All has helped to establish a solid platform to scale up delivery further in the short term and secure a sustainable level of supply that will help us meet unmet and emerging demand over the coming years.”
“It is a desire of mine to ensure we have a more streamlined approach to them. Points were made on rightsizing solutions and infrastructure provision. I agree with these, which will be known because I sat on the Oireachtas joint committee with other Members of the House for a number of years. I will now touch on a few other points. As a Government, we understand the urgency and need to ensure that sufficient secure and affordable homes are delivered to purchasers. We will commit to working tirelessly to address these challenges and implement policies that will make a positive difference. I want to work collectively with Deputies throughout the House to bring forward solutions to the challenges we face. I do not think simplistic soundbites are helpful to the debate. They do not build houses.”
“I thank everybody for their contributions. I reassert the Government's commitment to tackling the challenges we collectively face in the housing sector. As a 37-year-old, I am acutely aware of the impact these challenges have on my generation and those younger than me. I have taken note of some of the suggestions and points made by Deputies and I will touch on a couple of them. Standardised templates were referenced. They have been in place since 2022 for all social housing projects. Reference was made to the single-stage approval process. We are committed in the programme for Government to reducing red tape and streamlining the approval process, and we want to see further take-up from local authorities. We note the comments with regard to compulsory purchase orders.”
“It is worth noting as well that Dublin City Council has already advertised 16 of the affordable purchase homes. The council remains confident that these will be delivered during the first phase of delivery before the end of this year. I also note that Dublin City Council reconvened its Oscar Traynor Road consultative forum on 24 January in conjunction with the developer. It will continue to engage with stakeholders. A meeting of public representatives, to which the Deputy referred, took place on site on 10 February. I assure the Deputy that this project is a high priority for the Government. We want to see these quality homes being delivered in order that families and individuals can be moved into them as early as practical in line with the timeframes and, obviously, in full compliance with standards.”
“I again thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this important issue. I assure him that, from the information I have been provided with, a dialogue is occurring in order to try to find a satisfactory resolution. As he is aware, this is a very important development for the area. It is being delivered under Housing for All. We are committed to ensuring that it will be delivered in good time and in full compliance with the building standards. Doing so will ensure that the best outcome will be achieved for the taxpayer and prospective homeowners and tenants, which is so important. Dublin City Council is confident that any of the compliance issues previously identified can be resolved appropriately and without any undue delay to the overall project timeframe.”
“I note the Deputy's comments that works are no longer happening on the site. The information I have been provided with is that other works in relation to the public realm of the development have been brought forward in order to try to minimise any further delays of the overall project timeframe and that it is still on course for delivery on a phased basis between 2025 and 2028.”
“Given its statutory, regulatory and enforcement role under the Building Control Acts, this is a matter for the building control office in Dublin City Council and the Government. I have to respect its independent statutory role in this matter. I understand that the developer is engaging with Dublin City Council regarding resolution of these issues and is actively working to ensure that all homes in this development will be finished to a high standard in order to achieve full compliance with building regulatory standards. Building control officers will continue regular routine inspections over the coming weeks and months through to the completion of this project in order to ensure both adequate public oversight and the necessary confidence that the requirements of the building regulations will be achieved.”
“All building works of this nature are subject to the requirements of the building control regulations and regulations made under the Building Control Acts 1990, as amended, to ensure the safety and well-being of persons in the built environment. Dublin City Council advised that due to the scale and importance of this large housing development, it has been prioritised for inspection by the city's building control team. During the course of several building control inspections last year, concerns regarding compliance of the works with relevant parts of the building regulations were identified and in line with standard operating procedures were brought to the attention of site management and the assigned certifier.”
“The development of the lands at Oscar Traynor Road has the potential to provide significant additional housing in a strategically important part of our capital city, involving the delivery of 853 homes, with accompanying community and créche buildings in multiple phases. It is intended that 340 of these will be cost-rental homes, 343 will be social homes, and 170 will be affordable purchase homes, giving a 40:40:20 tenure mix. The project commenced on site last March, and work is being undertaken by Glenveagh developments. Considerable experience and resources are being deployed by the developer on the project, with the appointment of an assigned certifier, project architects, structural engineers, fire safety consultants, access consultants and other specialist technical advisers.”
“As this is my first contribution in the House, I ask for its indulgence for a moment as I thank my wife, my family, my friends, my supporters and the Fine Gael members who have assisted me in recent years and, in particular, during November's election campaign. Most importantly, I wish to place on record my thanks to the people of Waterford, who have placed their trust in me, and to the Tánaiste for appointing me as Minister of State with special responsibility for planning and local government. I very much look forward to working with everybody in the House in a collaborative fashion in the coming years. I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this very important issue. It is one we often spoke about when I was a member of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage.”