Minister for Housing James Browne has said he expects the Government’s long-awaited housing plan to be published within the next fortnight.
Minister Browne said his department was putting the final touches to the plan, which will bring about a “step change” in delivering housing.
He said: “We’re on course to publish the housing plan next week…certainly within two weeks at the absolute maximum, we’re just putting the final touches on it, to assure it does reflect our values and principles, but most importantly, that it will bring about that step change in housing delivery.
“Housing For All delivered above its set of targets over its lifetime that it’s existed to date, but we need to get that with the step change.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in population in our country, so we need to make another step-change in terms of delivering that, the housing that we need for people across the country.”
Minister Browne said the original intention was to publish the plan over the summer.
However, he said key steps were needed in order to deliver a “radical plan”.
He said: “We needed to have the development plan, National Development Plan, bottomed out, but we also had to have the Budget, and we’ve seen significant developments in both the National Development Plan and the Budget that will impact the plan.
“Otherwise, we would have had a plan where we would have been effectively rewriting it for the additional record funding we got on the National Development Plan, and also the significant changes now in the tax measures.
“So I think what you’re going to see is really in the plan. It’s about the how, how we make that step change.”
Uisce Éireann to be required to manage privately built wastewater plants
In relation to new proposals that will see Uisce Éireann required to manage new privately built wastewater plants, Minister Browne said it was crucial the plants are built to the same standard as Uisce Éireann.
He said: “In the case of wastewater development, directly delivered by developers, it will be overseen by Uisce Éireann and it will have to be to Environmental Protection Agency and Uisce Éireann standards.
Up until now wastewater infrastructure was solely in the hands of Uisce Éireann
“Uisce Éireann will take them over once they’re completed, and they will be insisting they are done to the same spec as Uisce Éireann. It’s just facilitating developers to be able to what Uisce Éireann is doing but to the same standard, and that is absolutely crucial.
“We believe that can be done and we’ve found a pathway to do that.”
The plan for Uisce Éireann to be required to manage new privately built wastewater plants was brought to Cabinet this morning.
The move aims to speed up the delivery of homes in rural towns and villages that currently have inadequate water services.
Up until now this key infrastructure was solely in the hands of Uisce Éireann.
But in a significant policy change builders will very soon be able to develop wastewater units.
A shortage of such facilities has been blocking the building of homes on small but important pockets of land around the country.
Under the plan Uisce Éireann will set the standards for the treatment plants and they will take ownership of them once they are built and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mr Browne also asked Uisce Éireann to progress the use of modular units which can be bolted on to existing wastewater plants to boost capacity in order to build more homes.
Watch: Tánaiste says decision on wastewater plants will remove bottleneck on development
Veterans Affairs Office to be established
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris brought a memo to Cabinet to formally establish the first Office of Veterans Affairs.
The office, which will be based in the Department of Defence, will be key to providing greater supports for retired Defence Forces personnel, Cabinet will hear.
There are currently approximately 145,000 Defence Forces veterans in the State.
The Tánaiste told Cabinet that the Office of Veterans Affairs will work across government and with the representative bodies to assist with the needs of veterans’ and their families.
He said that the creation of this office is in recognition of veterans’ extraordinary contribution to the State, both at home and on peacekeeping missions overseas.
The Tánaiste added that such an office will be critical too in the drafting of a future Veterans’ Policy.
The Veterans Affairs Office will be based in the Department of Defence
‘Future Forty’ and digital services plan to feature at Cabinet
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe updated Cabinet on the ‘Future Forty: A Fiscal and Economic Outlook to 2065’, which is a long-term fiscal and economic assessment of Ireland’s needs out to 2065.
The report focuses on seven key policy areas; climate change and the green transition, deglobalisation, demographics, digitalisation, EU enlargement, health and housing.
The result is over 2,000 potential economic and fiscal scenarios or outcomes for Ireland.
These vary from highly positive, where the economy maintains strong growth, to more negative outcomes, where the economy stagnates.
Meanwhile, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers brought the Digital Public Services Plan to Government.
The plan sets out a roadmap to ensuring that 100% of key public services are available online and will be fully phased in by 2030.
A key part of the plan is the digitalisation of Life Events and the development of a Digital Wallet – ensuring major milestones in people’s lives like starting school, learning to drive, starting a business, becoming a parent or retiring are all easier to manage.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley brought a memo to Cabinet in relation to the appointment of six new board members to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
The six commissioners have been independently recommended by the Public Appointments Service for appointment following a recruitment campaign.
Seanad to pass resolution of sympathy for Sr Stan
Meanwhile, the Seanad will this afternoon pass a resolution of sympathy for Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, who died yesterday aged 86.
This expression of sympathy is normally reserved for heads of state and prime ministers.
Cathaoirleach of the Seanad Mark Daly and leader Sean Kyne made the arrangements for the resolution.
Seanad Éireann will express its gratitude for her notable contribution to Irish public life and for her dedicated service to the people of Ireland.