90. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for a report on the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund. [48063/26]

Housing remains one of the most significant challenges facing the country, and meeting the Government’s target of delivering 300,000 homes by 2030 requires not just zoned land, but the infrastructure needed to activate that land. That is precisely the purpose of the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund which I'm delighted to say will support Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in delivering four important projects, with the potential to unlock over 9,450 homes directly and a further 13,500 homes indirectly.

The fund was launched by Government in January this year, and is managed by the Housing Activation Office in my Department. It represents one of the most significant interventions in housing delivery in over a decade with a €1 billion programme designed to ensure that infrastructure is no longer a barrier to building homes.

The interest in Call 1 has been exceptionally strong. We received 138 applications from local authorities and the Land Development Agency. Following a rigorous assessment process, I approved 82 projects last week which can unlock lands with the capacity to deliver approximately 86,000 new homes, and with the potential to unlock a further 113,000 homes on top of that. Details of the projects approved are published on my Department's website.

Importantly, every local authority and the LDA that applied received support, ensuring nationwide impact. The projects range from local activation measures in towns and cities to larger strategic investments capable of supporting housing delivery at scale.

The announcement made last week represents the first step in building a pipeline of housing enabling infrastructure to support housing delivery for many years to come.

This programme is about more than funding individual projects. It represents a new approach to housing delivery - identifying infrastructure constraints earlier, prioritising investment where it can have the greatest impact and ensuring housing and infrastructure are considered together from the outset.

Following the launch of the programme the Office is now working with local authorities to support them in their delivery of these projects and meetings in that regard have already commenced.