424. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the key measures taken to support apartment building since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53475/26]

The delivery of new apartments is an essential component of the Government's housing ambitions given the compact growth priority in the National Planning Framework. In 2025, 12,042 new apartments were completed, representing a third of all new dwellings completed and the highest apartment completion figure since the Central Statistic's Office data series began in 2011.

In Delivering Homes, Building Communities Government has taken decisive action to reduce the overall cost of apartment construction while increasing delivery in our urban areas. Budget 2026 introduced a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments such as reducing the VAT rate on the sale of new apartments to 9% and introducing an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs.

Additionally, funding is available under the Croí Cónaithe Cities Scheme to support the building of apartments for sale to owner-occupiers through a subvention to bridge the gap between the delivery cost and the market sale price.

My Department has recently conducted a public consultation on a draft National Planning Statement for the Government’s consideration to replace the current apartment guidelines. The overall purpose is to strike an effective regulatory balance, ensuring that apartment development meets the needs of society in terms of standards and quality, while promoting an increased level of overall output.

Sectoral feedback and preliminary data on planning permissions and commencements suggests that the sector is responding positively to the renewed environment for apartment delivery. My Department continues to systematically monitor investment, planning and commencement activity in apartments to examine the pipeline for new apartments and inform ongoing policy consideration in this area.