2026-06-11

I thank the Minister of State for taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for housing. Arklow is a fine coastal town with Viking heritage but for a long time, its infrastructural development had been held back because of the lack of wastewater capacity. In May of last year, the Taoiseach opened the Arklow wastewater treatment plant, a €139 million project. It was completed six months ahead of schedule and within budget, so it was a good news story. The Taoiseach made clear at that opening the importance of such strategic infrastructure not just in terms of cleaning up the Avoca River and for environmental reasons, but critically to provide housing within the community of Arklow and south Wicklow. He pointed out that the wastewater treatment plant could end up supporting a population of 24,000, with the potential of expanding that up to 36,000. In the 2022 census, Arklow had a population of 13,399, so there is going to be capacity there as a result of the new wastewater treatment plant. The Minister of State knows as well as I do how strong the demand is for housing. In my office on the main street in Arklow, the most common issue that arises is raised by people who are looking for social or affordable housing. It is raised with me on the streets regularly in Arklow, as it is right around the country. We would imagine, after the hold-up for all these years, that suddenly we would start to see a surge of housing, particularly affordable housing. I asked in November 2025, by way of parliamentary questions, what progress had been seen. It was pointed out in reply that since 2022 Wicklow had 970 households availing of affordable housing supports through the mix of various schemes. I inquired further as to how many of these were in the Arklow area. It was not the case that anything seemed to be happening. I contacted Wicklow County Council, which, in April this year, told me it had a number of schemes in the planning and detailed design stages at Tinahask and Sheephouse in the town, but it stated it is currently awaiting the housing delivery plan from the Government, which will determine the output required throughout the county. Not happy with that, I went back to the Department to obtain clarity on what social and affordable housing supports were being made available in Arklow through Wicklow County Council. The Department, in response to a parliamentary question, told me that to date it had not received any applications or plans for new starter home delivery in the local area of Arklow. I am really frustrated about this. Arklow is a town that has been in need of development and housing for a long time. There is a problem with enrolment falling in some of the schools because there are no new families moving into the area. The town is within the commuter zone; it is a very fine town. Whether it is a matter for the Department or Wicklow County Council, we are just not seeing homes in general being built but I have a particular interest in social and affordable homes. I contrast Arklow with the other main town in my constituency, Gorey, where we regularly see social and affordable schemes developed. In fact, there is another being opened in the town tomorrow by Wexford County Council. Considering that the Government has invested so much in the wastewater infrastructure in Arklow, whose lack was holding everything up, why are we not seeing the necessary social and affordable housing that we were expecting to see there?

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter regarding the delivery of social and affordable housing in Arklow. I am answering on behalf of our colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, and his Department. Affordability and the chance to own a home remain at the heart of this Government's housing policy, as set out in our new national housing action plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030. At the same time, we remain firmly committed to delivering the social housing needed to support individuals and families who require housing assistance and to building strong, sustainable communities across the country. Under the housing action plan, the Government is targeting the delivery of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social homes. The plan will significantly increase the delivery of new-build social housing to an average of 12,000 homes per year and includes a range of measures to support local authorities in meeting this ambition. These include a streamlined approval process for social housing projects, greater use of standardised designs and modern methods of construction, enhanced land acquisition supports, dedicated housing delivery teams in every local authority and financial incentives to exceed annual social housing delivery targets. Alongside these social housing measures, the plan reinforces and expands the range of affordable housing supports already being delivered, including the new starter homes programme, which aims to provide an average of 15,000 starter home supports annually to 2030. To underpin this ambition, the Government is investing at an unprecedented level through direct Exchequer funding, investment by the Land Development Agency and lending through the Housing Finance Agency. Across the country, the starter purchase scheme, cost-rental scheme, first home scheme, help-to-buy scheme and the vacant property refurbishment grant are helping individuals and families access secure and affordable housing. Last year, more than 17,000 supports were delivered through these measures. In Wicklow, significant progress has already been made. Since 2022, over 1,000 starter home supports have been delivered through a combination of starter purchase, cost rental, the first home scheme and the vacant property refurbishment grant. Wicklow County Council has delivered 91 starter purchase homes to date and has further schemes approved for delivery in the coming years. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has also funded seven dedicated starter homes administrative and technical posts within Wicklow County Council to support delivery. Importantly, Wicklow County Council is also performing strongly in the delivery of social housing. The council has exceeded its social housing targets for the period 2022 to 2025, achieving 125% of its target. The latest social housing construction status report shows a strong pipeline of 512 social homes at various stages of design and procurement, including 166 homes under construction at the end of 2025. This demonstrates a local authority that is actively delivering homes and planning for future need. While Wicklow County Council currently has a programme of housing delivery under way in other parts of the county, no applications have yet been received for starter homes schemes in Arklow. This is clearly a matter that requires continued engagement and focus. The affordable housing fund remains available to Wicklow County Council to support the development of affordable homes where affordability pressures have been identified. The Department of housing, the Housing Agency and the housing delivery co-ordination office continue to work closely with local authorities to develop and advance housing projects that respond to local needs, including in key growth centres such as Arklow. As local authorities prepare new housing delivery action plans under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, there will be a renewed focus on identifying and delivering both social and affordable housing solutions that reflect local needs and priorities. These plans will provide a clear pathway for future delivery and ensure that communities such as Arklow benefit from the full range of housing supports available. This is about more than building houses, as the Deputy knows. It is about building sustainable communities, creating places where people can live, work and raise families, and ensuring that the homes we build today are fit for future generations.

I thank the Minister of State for the answer. As he knows, I am supportive. There is an extensive programme of building social and affordable homes right around the country. As he acknowledged, Wicklow County Council has been very good in north Wicklow. The key line in the answer the Minister of State gave was about the fact that there are no applications from Arklow. He went on to say that "this is clearly a matter that requires continued engagement and focus". Can the Minister of State name any other town in the country with a population of over 13,000 where a single social or affordable home has not been constructed and where there have been no applications to the Department? For those waiting for homes in Arklow and living around south Wicklow, there is no point telling them that there are many more homes being made available in Bray, Gorey or Clare, much as I welcome all of those homes. This is the largest town in the country where we are not seeing any progress on social and affordable homes. I have raised the issue with the Minister but I ask the Minister of State to bring the issue back to him. It needs to be communicated to Wicklow County Council that it needs to prioritise this. The evidence is clear. We are not seeing any social and affordable homes. It is no good talking about it being a priority if we are not seeing progress. I do not know what it is that Wicklow County Council has against Arklow but it does not seem to be prioritising it in the context of the building of social and affordable homes. That is why I am getting it in the neck in my office over the Government's failure to deliver in that area. I am not getting it to the same extent in Gorey, where I am seeing real progress being made by Wexford County Council, as I am sure the Minister of State knows is happening in other parts of the country. I ask the Minister of State to raise the issue directly with the Minister. I want the Department to call in Wicklow County Council and demand to know from it, if it is saying Arklow requires continued engagement and focus, what specific actions the council is undertaking.

I thank the Deputy. Of course, I know of his significant interest in homes and housing. He has been and continues to be a strong advocate. There is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation from the Department's perspective. It is looking at the overall delivery of social homes and it is on target and on budget. To get into micromanagement is a bit of a challenge for the Department but I will certainly raise the issue with the Minister. The fact that the Deputy is raising the issue is giving vent to his concerns. Engagement with Wicklow County Council is needed. The Deputy was a member of a local authority and knows about that sort of engagement. Perhaps some collective work could be done to include the Minister and the Deputy, working with the councillors and the county manager, the chief executive. Perhaps a meeting could be arranged in Leinster House, and I am happy to facilitate that. The Deputy is well able to manage it but if he needs any assistance from me, I am happy to do that. Sometimes it takes a nudge to spark action. The county-wide approach is doing well, with 125% of its target achieved, but that is cold comfort to someone who is in the Deputy's constituency office and whose son or daughter wants to remain in Arklow, live their life there alongside their parents, siblings or whoever it might be, and is told there is a home in Gorey or wherever else. Up the road does not wash. I am happy to work with the Deputy. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Browne. Perhaps we, collectively, can organise a meeting that involves a representative of the council, either the person involved in housing activation in Wicklow County Council, the director of service or the chief executive, to address this important issue. I thank the Deputy for his advocacy on this and many other issues.