The National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability (2011-2016 (extended to 2020)) will come to an end this year. A new national strategy is now being developed. The strategy is about facilitating the provision of housing options and related services to disabled people to allow individual choice and support independent living. 

Do you have a disability, care for a disabled person or work in supporting independent living for disabled persons? If yes, have your say on the plan.

We want to hear your views on the current strategy and what you would like to see included in the new national strategy. In order to get involved today, fill out this 10-15 minute questionnaire. The survey is anonymous and confidential. 

The closing date for this round of consultation is Friday 23 April. A further round of consultation on the drafted aims and objectives will be carried out over the summer and autumn months.

Thank you for taking the time to let us know your views, which will feed into the development of the new strategy.

Information you supply as part of this process will be handled in line with our Privacy Notice (read here).

Take the Survey in English   |   Take the Easy Read Survey   |   Tóg an Suirbhé as Gaeilge

	Survey Documents - English	Easy Read Survey Documents - English	Cáipéisí Suirbhé as Gaeilge
	Click here to download an editable Word version of this survey. this can be filled out and emailed to disabilitystrategy@housingagency.ie.	Click here to download an editable Easy Read Word version of this survey. this can be filled out and emailed to disabilitystrategy@housingagency.ie.	Cliceáil anseo chun leagan ineagarthóireachtas Word den suirbhé i nGaeilge a íoslódáil. Is féidir é sin a chomhlánú agus a chur ar ais tríd an ríomhphost chuig disabilitystrategy@housingagency.ie
	Click here to download and print a PDF version of the survey. This can be filled out and posted to: Disability Strategy, The Housing Agency, 53-54 Mount Street Upper, Dublin D02 KT73.	Click here to download and print an Easy Read PDF version of the survey. This can be filled out and posted to: Disability Strategy, The Housing Agency, 53-54 Mount Street Upper, Dublin D02 KT73.	Cliceáil anseo chun leagan PDF den suirbhé i nGaeilge a islodáil agus a chur i gcló. Is féidir é sin a chomhlánú agus a chur ar ais tríd an bpost chuig: An Stratéis Michumais, An Ghníomhaireacht Tithíochta, 53-54 Sráid an Mhóta Uachtarach, Baile Átha Cliath D02 KT73.

If you would like a copy of any of the above to be posted to you, please contact The Housing Agency on +353 (0)1 656 4100. 

• Watch our video to guide you through the survey.
• Watch this message from Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD .

When complete, Cherrywood in south Dublin will be the largest Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) in the history of the State with some 10,500 new homes accommodating a population of around 26,000 people.

As the largest undeveloped landbank in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) area, and the largest of all 11 SDZ projects in Ireland, Cherrywood SDZ presents unique challenges, particularly in coordinating significant infrastructure across multiple landowners.

A new Housing Insights paper by The Housing Agency examines the progressive steps taken by DLRCC and its key stakeholders to ensure that infrastructure is plan-led, phased and strategically provided to support Cherrywood's development.

It shows how physical infrastructure is key to unlocking land for development, including water and drainage facilities, transport infrastructure, utilities and waste management. Social infrastructure - such as parks, schools and other shared amenities - can then be provided in tandem with the physical infrastructure. Both types of infrastructure are key to realising the concept of a "10-minute neighbourhood".

Read the full report here - Housing Insights Issue 5 Supporting Sustainable Communities

STATEMENT 

Thursday, 13th February, 2025 

Important update on Interim Remediation Scheme for fire safety defects in apartments and duplexes

The Housing Agency has become aware that the way the Interim Remediation Scheme (IRS) for fire safety defects in apartments and duplexes is currently operating is not fully compliant with national and EU procurement law. Addressing this issue to ensure that the scheme is fully compliant with procurement rules is essential. Unfortunately, this is likely to cause the IRS process to last some months longer than previously expected. 

The IRS process will continue once these procurement issues are resolved. It is important to note that the IRS will continue to operate as normal in all other respects including the scope of works included and the funding levels being provided. There are no changes in any other area other than procurement. The Government as set out in the recent Programme for Government, remains fully committed to helping affected homeowners.

The Housing Agency received legal advice on the current tendering processes associated with the scheme and it was confirmed that the funding provided by the Agency to Owners’ Management Companies (OMCs) requires compliance with public procurement law. This is the case even though the OMC, a private company, will be the legal entity entering into contracts with the Competent Professionals and Competent Builders.

In light of this legal advice, The Housing Agency is now in the process of revising the IRS to ensure it aligns with EU and national public procurement requirements. This work is being undertaken in collaboration with other state agencies, including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of Government Procurement.

Given the complexity of the matter and the number of actions required, it is anticipated that it will take some months to amend the process.

OMCs that have applied to the scheme have been advised of the situation and will be updated as soon as details of the revised process are finalised. 

The procurement issue came to light as part of an ongoing Pathfinder process managed by the Housing Agency as part of the wider IRS to identify issues that might need to be addressed in advance of the launch of the full statutory Scheme later this year. 

To qualify for the IRS, apartments and duplexes must have fire safety defects and must have been built between 1991 and 2013. The scheme provides for the funding of eligible emergency fire safety defect works in order to provide an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings, pending the completion of the full remedial works. Full remedial works, which will include all necessary fire safety measures as well as those related to water ingress and structural damage, will be funded under the statutory scheme to be legislated for.

The IRS only applies if the defects were caused by defective design, workmanship or materials that breached the building regulations that applied when the property was built.

A total of 195 applications, covering 18,670 apartments and duplexes, have been made under the IRS. The final cost of the overall Scheme is estimated at more than €2 billion and this will help to remediate up to 100,000 affected apartments across the country. 

Read the Housing Agency February 2025 Stakeholder Newsletter - February 2025 Stakeholder Newsletter

This month we shine a spotlight on our Research Support Programme which funds research into topical housing issues that have the potential to impact housing policy and practice. We take a look at the Property Optimisation Unit, a team within the Agency that provides advice and support to local authorities addressing vacancy within their areas. This edition also contains more information about our Housing Practitioners’ Conference, our new four-part webinar series on community-led housing, and much more.

Subscribe to our newsletter here - https://tinyurl.com/yey84tef

The Housing Agency and the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) will host the 2025 Housing Practitioners’ Conference, taking place in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, Co Westmeath on Thursday, 10th April and Friday 11th April (half day). 

The conference will involve expert speakers and workshops. The conference brochure is available to view here - Conference Brochure

The workshop brochure is available here - Workshop Brochure

The conference is aimed at housing practitioners including local authority staff, approved housing bodies and Government officials. 

To register for the conference please visit the IPA website here - Housing Practitioners' Conference 2025 | Registration 

Meaningful engagement with households is the greatest predictor of a successful Traveller-specific accommodation scheme, according to the authors of a new report.

The report, Good practice in the development and design of Traveller-specific accommodation, was commissioned by The Housing Agency to research and prepare draft guidelines on good practice on the appropriateness of location, scale and design of Traveller-specific accommodation, for the Minister at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The research was undertaken by a consortium led by desiun Architects with the support of the Public Policy Advisors Network.

 The report’s authors make a number of recommendations, including that funding should be provided for early, meaningful and consistent engagement with Travellers in the planning and development of Traveller specific projects.

This engagement should be undertaken before design work commences and should continue during design development. A high degree of involvement from Travellers with the design development should be sought, as well as inputs for the management and maintenance of the site, and a strategy for allocations.

The report also recommends that new sites should be located where amenities are close by and, generally, not in peripheral or isolated locations.

Read the full report here - LINK

PRESS STATEMENT

Wednesday, 18th December, 2024

Housing Agency announces Martin Whelan as new CEO

The Housing Agency is pleased to announce that Martin Whelan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Agency and will take up the role on 31st March, 2025.

Mr Whelan will join The Housing Agency from the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) where he is currently Head of Group Corporate Affairs and Communications.

Speaking following his appointment, Mr Whelan said: “I have become very familiar with the valuable work of The Housing Agency over an extended period and I see this role as one that is of immense significance to our society – now more than ever.

“Delivering sustainable and affordable housing for everyone in Ireland is rightly seen by so many people throughout Ireland – and by our policymakers – as an overriding priority.

“I look forward to leading the outstanding people in The Housing Agency in working with political, social, industry and other stakeholders to play a major part in achieving that.”

Mr Whelan’s appointment has been welcomed by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, who said: “I am delighted to welcome Martin to his new role as CEO of The Housing Agency. The organisation provides invaluable support to my department and plays a crucial role in our delivery of much needed housing initiatives. With Martin’s experience and expertise, we look forward to working together and building further on the great work the Agency has already achieved.”

Michael Carey, Chairman of The Housing Agency, said: “Martin is a highly experienced corporate leader with extensive expertise in corporate governance, organisational strategy, and strategic management. Martin also brings considerable experience across corporate affairs, including government, media and public relations, communications and leading stakeholder engagement.

“These roles have also given him significant exposure to major housing policy initiatives in which the NTMA has a role over the past decade, inputting into the strategy of and leading external affairs and stakeholder engagement across the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund’s (ISIF) €1bn housing and enabling infrastructure programme, Home Building Finance Ireland’s (HBFI) €2bn development finance programme, and NAMA’s commercial, residential development, and social housing programmes.”

Mr Whelan has been Head of Group Corporate Affairs and Communications at the NTMA since 2017. He has previously served as a Non-Executive Director at Threshold Ireland.

ENDS

Contact: Breda Heffernan, Communications Manager, The Housing Agency, breda.heffernan@housingagency.ie

Notes to Editors:

About The Housing Agency

The Housing Agency supports the development of sustainable communities across Ireland. It works to meet the nation’s housing needs by:

• Co-ordinating programmes that can transform how we live. 
• Providing technical support to accelerate the delivery of housing projects.
• Using data and research to provide evidence-based solutions.
• Advising the Government on housing policies.
• Collaborating with all those involved in the housing sector in Ireland to ensure we are working as effectively as possible. 

A State-funded body, The Housing Agency works mainly with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities and non-profit housing providers.

For many disabled people, independent living can be assisted with peer support.

Peer support is a supportive relationship between people who have shared experiences. It is based on the knowledge that disabled people are experts in recognising the barriers they face and the means in which such barriers can be tackled.

As part of the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People, The Housing Agency has examined national and international examples of peer support models and explored what supports are currently available in Ireland and how, if necessary, they can be adapted or expanded to assist disabled people to live independent lives in their community.

The report, Peer Support Models, Examining models both nationally and internationally,  finds that the value of lived experience has been acknowledged as an integral component in assisting marginalised groups such as disabled people to live independently.

Read the full report here