Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 May 2023
101. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the tenant-in-situ scheme will apply to mixed tenancies, joint tenancies and tenancies in common; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21925/23]
View answer102. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the tenant-in-situ scheme will apply to single unit apartments within a larger building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21926/23]
View answer103. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the tenant-in-situ scheme will apply to a group of apartments where all tenants are served an eviction notice by the same landlord on the same grounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21927/23]
View answer104. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if the tenant-in-situ scheme will apply to households based on non-traditional family structures for example, friends, and cohabiting couples; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21928/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 102, 103 and 104 together.
Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
For 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire up to 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property.
My Department issued a circular letter to all local authorities in March, setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2023. This allocation will be kept under review.
There is extensive engagement between my Department and the local authorities on delivering social housing acquisitions. I have also established a Cross-Sectoral Group focused on supporting the acquisition programme and this Group is considering issues that are being encountered by local authorities. Local authorities can acquire single apartments within a larger development, or a number of apartments in a multi-unit development. The allocation of a dwelling to a household eligible for social housing supports is a matter for the relevant local authority. It will be matter for the local authority to determine the suitability of a property for acquisition on a case-by-case basis.
