576. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of social, affordable and cost rental homes completed in Meath in 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45419/26]

Affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied within the new housing action plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. This action plan reinforces and expands the range of existing measures being implemented by the Government to tackle the issues of supply and affordability, thereby supporting the increased provision of new homes to purchase and rent.

This expanded delivery, under the new housing plan, will build upon the significant progress already made under our previous plan Housing for All, with over 22,000 starter home supports having been delivered from its launch to the end of 2025.

Over 1,200 starter home supports have been delivered in Meath to the end of 2025, primarily via the Affordable Purchase scheme (102 homes), the First Home scheme (842 homes), the Vacant Properties Refurbishment Grant (105 homes), the Cost Rental scheme (via Approved Housing Bodies - 154 homes), and the cost rRental tenant in situ scheme (6 homes).

To date, Meath County Council has received funding approval to deliver 300 new homes for purchase across 16 schemes, supported by the Affordable Housing Fund to end 2027. By the end of 2025, 102 of these homes had already been delivered.

A further three schemes are currently under assessment, with the potential to deliver an additional 32 new homes for purchase.

In addition, 8 Approved Housing Bodies projects have been approved to date under the Cost Rental Equity Loan scheme in County Meath, with 154 Cost Rental homes delivered to date, and a further 164 to be delivered by the end of 2028.

To further support the development of Meath’s work in this area, my Department is funding 5 additional administrative and technical staffing posts to help deliver on affordable housing.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis, including for social housing provision and starter home delivery activity by local authority and delivery partners, for each local authority area. Data from 2022 to 2025 is currently published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, with Q1 2026 data due to be published shortly: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/overall-social-and-affordable-housing-provision/.

As outlined in the housing action plan, all local authorities will be required to prepare new Housing Delivery Action Plans (HDAP), which will identify housing needs within their areas and set out how this will be met over the rest of the decade. Scheme criteria and support levels for affordable homes schemes are kept under regular review, taking account of developments in the housing market. My Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further develop delivery and to ensure that we continue to address demand identified at a local level.