Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2015
915. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to introduce a scheme which will allow local authorities to purchase private houses which have been put up for sale by the owner. [12006/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe funding that is provided by my Department to local authorities for social housing supports the development of new social housing units and also the purchase of units that may be privately owned. A similar approach applies to funding sanctioned by local authorities to approved housing bodies, which can be for either new build or the acquisition of existing housing units.
There are some instances where funding for social housing developments is linked to job stimulus programmes and, in those cases, it is a requirement that funding is used for new social housing developments.
However, in general, it is a matter for each local authority, as the housing authority for its area, to identify the social housing need and to respond as required. There can be opportunities to achieve good value for money through acquiring built units and that is why the flexibility to do so is available to local authorities. Where acquisitions are undertaken for social housing purposes, I expect local authorities to do so in a way that is sensitive to issues such as tenure mix and impact on the local housing market.
