Housing Schemes

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 February 2025

Thursday, 6 February 2025

Questions (141, 147)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

141. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total amount paid out in tenant-in-situ funds to local authorities for the year 2024; the date of the last allocation made to local authorities in 2024; if there have been any subsequent allocations and payments made since October 2024, specifically in November 2024, December 2024, and January 2025; if not, what is the outstanding amount due to each local authority to fulfil the obligations of tenant in situ purchases; and the reasons for any delays that may have occurred in these allocations. [3805/25]

Willie O'Dea

Question:

147. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to restore the tenant-in-situ scheme; if so, when finance will be provided to local authorities to re-start the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3892/25]

Written answers

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 147 together.

The Tenant in Situ Acquisitions Programme was introduced by way of Government decision in 2023. It was originally intended as a short-term response to the reported uplift in sales by landlords of homes which were within the HAP and RAS schemes in order to prevent potential homelessness where other solutions could not be found for the affected tenants. 

A further Government decision extended the programme into 2024 with approval granted for 1,300 Tenant in Situ acquisitions in addition to the 200 priority acquisitions target for 2024 contained in Housing for All.

Any decision in relation to a further extension of the Tenant in Situ scheme into 2025 is a matter for the new Government.

It is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy.  Local authorities take appropriate steps to ensure that their first response will be to support households to prevent homelessness in cases where tenants have been served with a notice of termination by their landlord. A local authority will assess the options available in each case and decide the appropriate action.

In discussions with individual local authorities in the closing weeks of 2024 every effort was made to ensure that each authority was facilitated in completing and recouping the costs of their 2024 acquisitions in line with the Government decision and their individual allocations which were notified to them in March, 2024. My Department is currently working with local authorities to collate the Q4 2024 social housing statistical returns.

Comprehensive programme-level statistics are published by my Department on a quarterly basis, including data on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is published on my Department's website up to Quarter 3 2024, including completed acquisitions: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/