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Housing Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 May 2021

Tuesday, 25 May 2021

Questions (270, 271)

Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

270. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of acquisitions or takeovers of private rentals that have been repurposed as social and or council houses over the past ten year period 2011 to 2021, in tabular form.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27661/21]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

271. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding acquisition funding for 2021; when the local authorities will be in receipt of these funds; if there is a possibility of emergency acquisition funding as there are many persons in County Clare that are facing evictions due to their landlords wanting to sell the property and the county does not have funding to acquire properties at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27662/21]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together.

My Department does not provide a set amount of funding to local authorities to pursue acquisitions of second-hand properties for new social homes; funding is provided by my Department based on the number of such acquisitions that each individual local authority undertakes. All local authorities including, Clare County Council, are aware of this process.

On 21 April last, I announced a number of measures to further support the delivery of additional social homes following from the construction sector shut-down over the first months of 2021. These measures can be seen at www.gov.ie/en/press-release/30a86-minister-obrien-announces-plans-to-boost-social-housing-delivery/ and include a programme of targeted acquisitions by local authorities to deliver new social homes. While I am keen that local authorities use these opportunities to boost social housing supply in the short term, I have also asked them to be particularly conscious of the impact on private supply of housing when they are undertaking acquisitions.

In relation to situations where landlords are considering selling a property which is currently rented to a person or a family in receipt of social housing supports, all local authorities are asked to deploy their tenancy sustainment officer in the first place, to seek a resolution to the situation if possible. The option to acquire properties is available to the local authority following the intervention of the tenancy sustainment officer.

Because the identification and selection of properties to be acquired as new social homes is delegated to local authorities, my Department does not record the number of such acquisitions that the 31 authorities undertake that were previously rented privately, but this information may be available from the local authorities themselves.

Question No. 271 answered with Question No. 270.
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