Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 June 2023
85. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 109 of 14 June 2023, if he will clearly indicate the amount of funding given to Kildare County Council to purchase homes under the tenant-in-situ scheme since the lifting of the ban on no-fault evictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31498/23]
View answerUnder 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 at least 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 target for social housing acquisitions in 2023.
Further to the PQ submitted on 14 June, I can confirm that Kildare County Council have a target to acquire at least 55 social homes in 2023 and this will be kept under review. Kildare County Council have delegated sanction to deliver these acquisitions, subject to those acquisitions being within Acquisition Cost Guidelines issued by my Department. My Department recoups local authorities for their expenditure on social housing acquisitions.
Details of social housing acquisitions will be published as part of the comprehensive programme level statistics published by my Department on a quarterly basis. This data is available for all local authorities to the end of Quarter 4 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
