2026-01-22

150. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to allow for modular housing and low-cost sites, to address the urgent housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4551/26]

I commend the Minister and his junior Ministers on the tireless work they are doing on the housing crisis. Will the Minister provide funding to Kerry County Council to construct modular homes as part of the solution for social and affordable housing? Will the Minister allow Kerry County Council to grant planning permission to individuals and families who wish to construct a modular home? Will the Minister roll out a scheme of low-cost sites across County Kerry?

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 is Ireland’s new housing plan. It is a wide-ranging action plan, focused on housing supply and targeting homelessness. The plan is centred on eight priorities, one of which includes increasing skills and supporting the adoption of modern methods of construction, MMC, in the residential construction sector, which will help facilitate delivery at optimal levels of speed, quality, sustainability and cost effectiveness. My Department will ensure that the weight of the State’s significant spending power is put firmly behind the use of MMC in at least 25% of all new build social and affordable housing. This will mean a pipeline of thousands of homes that will be built using MMC over the lifetime of the plan. In order to directly support the use of modular or 3D volumetric methods, my Department is providing funding and support for two pathfinder projects in the Limerick city short-term modular affordable rental transition modular housing project and Wexford County Council is being supported to develop 22 permanent social homes. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, agrément certification plays a central role in enabling new, innovative construction products, processes and building systems. A total of 21 MMC systems are currently certified by NSAI agrément. Two of these certificates relate to modular systems. In addition, six MMC systems are at internal review stage for certification. Subject to satisfactory completion of this review, these certificates are expected to be published in the first half of 2026. Two of the six systems undergoing review are for modular systems. Under the plan, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will further optimise the process towards NSAI agrément certification. The plan also commits to expanding the ready to build scheme, which the Deputy referenced at the end of his contribution.

In every corner of County Kerry today, there are individuals, couples and families who wish to build or buy a family home. Even though they are in good jobs, they cannot get a mortgage big enough to buy or build. These are nurses in University Hospital Kerry, teachers, members of an Garda Síochána, employees of good companies like Liebherr and Fexco in Killorglin, etc. Constituents who I am meeting on a daily basis are telling me they would be more than happy with a modular home. A good quality modular home will last 70, 80 or 90 years. In regard to achieving this, I have been hammering the point that Uisce Éireann needs to roll out a scheme of constructed wetlands across County Kerry, in my case. We have more than 40 villages unsewered and many more that are at capacity, including my own village. The constructed wetlands are a much cheaper and faster form of wastewater treatment. There are so many areas in need. We can make a real impact here if we do that.

I thank the Deputy. I note the comments from the Minister, Deputy Browne, about the developer-provided infrastructure element and the commitment Deputy Cahill has shown in raising constructed wetlands consistently in this House. There is a very good example of it in my constituency in Dunhill, County Waterford. In relation to the modular systems, we are going to provide planning exemptions to allow for modular units to the rear of the dwelling as I referred to earlier in response to questions from Deputy Gogarty. The Government will from a State point of view continue to invest in modern methods of construction, at least 25%, and we are going to bring an increased focus in terms of modular systems to that. I referenced the pilots in Limerick and Wexford, which are currently in process.

We must give an opportunity to those on middle incomes. They are caught between social housing and being able to afford to build their own homes. I believe the modular home is a solution. Low-cost sites are an incentive there as well to help these people get on the property ladder. To achieve this, yet again, as I mentioned, we have over 40 unsewered villages in County Kerry and a number of others that are at capacity; we need to provide wastewater treatment in these areas. Again, I am emphasising that constructed wetlands is one of the solutions. It is much cheaper and much faster to put in place. We need to get the ball rolling in addressing the housing crisis.

I have been consistent on exempted development regulations and the provision of modular units. I never once said this is the solution to the housing crisis. This is about providing options for people. Who is it for anybody in this Chamber to try to dictate to people who may wish to put in a modular home if they believe that is appropriate for them? Everything we are trying to do in terms of planning within government is to simplify the process and remove things from the planning system that are not required to be in it. That is what we are doing in terms of the exempted development regulations, which I will bring to the Oireachtas committee at Easter. In relation to local authorities and AHBs, we are committed to increasing MMC by at least 25% and we are going to try to push the 3D volume metric in addition to the 2D, which has been happening consistently across the sector over the past number of years.