Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

notes that:

— increasing the overall housing supply is key to addressing the housing challenge and preventing and ultimately eliminating long-term homelessness, and the clear focus of Government must therefore remain on increasing the supply of new build social and affordable homes;

— notwithstanding, a targeted second-hand social housing acquisition programme has been and will continue to be an important policy response to priority needs such as tenancy sustainment, exits from homelessness, support for elderly and disabled persons and tackling vacancy;

— the Government formally introduced Tenant in-Situ acquisitions in 2023, as a temporary response to the reported uplift in sales by landlords of homes which were within the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) schemes in order to prevent potential homelessness where other solutions could not be found for the affected tenants;

— the Government extended such acquisitions into 2024, and now 2025, and has repeatedly increased the funding available over and above that set out in Housing for All; and

— the Residential Tenancies Board received 16,546 Notices of Termination in 2024, and this was down 13 per cent in 2023, 9,170 of these were issued as a result of landlord intent to sell the property, and this was down 20.7 per cent in 2023;

further notes that:

— the social housing Second Hand Acquisitions (SHA) programme or tenant in-situ acquisitions were not suspended, and the Programme for Government – Securing Ireland's Future commits to continuing Social Housing Tenant in-Situ acquisitions;

— the Government has agreed to continue the programme in 2025, with funding of €325 million being provided, and this funding will provide for the acquisition of second-hand homes for the following priority needs:

— Tenant in-Situ acquisitions;

— older persons and persons with a disability;

— exits from homeless services; and

— Buy and Renew acquisitions, which tackle vacancy;

— prioritising vulnerable households for support under the second-hand acquisitions programme is important, but it does not mean excluding others. It will be a matter for local authorities to respond to local needs and single persons and couples can be supported;

— under revised arrangements for second-hand acquisitions in 2025, local authorities will receive a capital funding allocation for the acquisition of second-hand dwellings;

— individual local authority capital funding allocations will help promote best practice in obtaining value for money and provide local authorities with the flexibility to respond to needs and priorities locally within the categories of need being prioritised, and a circular will issue to local authorities imminently outlining their capital allocations for 2025;

— funding is available to AHBs to acquire second-hand homes under the programme on the same 100 per cent grant funded basis as that available to local authorities, and funding for AHBs will be provided under the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) which reflects the priority needs being targeted;

— the introduction of eligibility criteria and priority needs for acquisitions, including Tenant in-Situ, will allow for a more targeted programme of acquisitions and enable local authorities to acquire the maximum number of homes for such needs;

— refurbishment funding will not be available under the SHA programme for Tenant in-Situ acquisitions, as such properties are the beneficiaries of significant Exchequer funded rent supports every week, are legally required to meet the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019, and are subject to inspection by local authorities to ensure they meet the said standards, and immediate essential repairs should not therefore be required;

— some refurbishment works may be required in the short- to medium-term, but these should be noted as part of the condition survey and programmed for future planned maintenance works such that the capital funding available for Tenant in-Situ acquisitions is dedicated to maximising the number of acquisitions, and funding works which are not immediately required would prevent the number of acquisitions being maximised;

— there are a number of funding programmes available for local authorities to improve their social housing stock, including the Planned Maintenance programme, the Disabled Persons Grant, the Regeneration Projects and Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme; and

— refurbishment funding is available for acquisitions under exits from homelessness, older and disabled persons and Buy and Renew, where works are required to ensure the property meets the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019, or adaptation requirements to accommodate the tenant; and

highlights:

— the success of the SHA programme to date:

— almost 7,000 second-hand homes have been acquired since 2020, at a capital cost of circa €2 billion; and

— in the period 2023 to Q3 2024, just over 3,100 second-hand acquisitions have been completed of which 2,000 have been Tenant in-Situ acquisitions;

— the Government is committed to continuing with a targeted SHA programme which will prioritise the most vulnerable households within the priority areas being supported, but will not act to exclude persons or households; and

— in implementing the programme, local authorities are being asked to, and are being given the flexibility to, respond to local needs, and single persons and couples can be supported.

I very much welcome this motion. In the last few weeks we have heard calls from Opposition and Government backbenchers to continue the tenant in situ scheme to ensure it is in place and provide clarity on it. That is exactly what we are doing today in that we are continuing the tenant in situ scheme. We are doing it because of the reasons the Deputies opposite have outlined. More than 2,000 families have avoided homelessness because of the scheme. I very much welcome that and it has been a success. That is why we are continuing it with guardrails. We are still giving significant amounts of money to local authorities to acquire homes for those who are at risk of homelessness. However, there must be some guardrails in place.

I have heard reference to restrictions and I have heard on many occasions that single people will be excluded. That is not the case. We are giving flexibility, but there will be prioritisation criteria. When dealing with the figures and the sums of money we are talking about which are necessary to ensure that people avoid homelessness, we need to have those guardrails in place to ensure that it is done properly. The upshot and something that has been sought by both Government and Opposition is clarity on this. The clarity is that the tenant in situ scheme will be continuing.

I welcome the opportunity to speak here today to oppose the motion on behalf of Government and to outline the progress made to date with the second-hand social housing acquisitions and specifically tenant in situ acquisitions and make clear that the concerns raised are, in fact, already being addressed.

The clear focus of Government is to increase the supply of new-build social and affordable homes. Increasing the overall housing supply is key to addressing the housing challenge and in particular preventing and ultimately eliminating long-term homelessness. Notwithstanding this, Government has supported and will continue to support a targeted second-hand social housing acquisitions programme which responds to the needs of the most vulnerable. Government has therefore increased the 2025 budget for the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme from the €60 million available under housing for all to €325 million and is giving local authorities the flexibility required within the programme to respond to needs locally.

Tenant in situ acquisitions are recognised as a key measure in the prevention of homelessness. The scheme positively benefits vulnerable tenants who receive a notice of termination from their landlord. I want to reassert the Government’s commitment to the continuation of a more focused and targeted programme to ensure it benefits those most in need.

Housing for All makes provision for 200 social housing acquisitions per annum to 2030. In light of the challenges in addressing homelessness and the reported uplift in the number of landlords exiting the private rental market and HAP and RAS schemes, Government introduced tenant in situ acquisitions in 2023 as a temporary short-term measure to address the issue. This was continued in 2024 and has now been extended into 2025. Since the introduction of the tenant in situ programme in March 2023, more than 3,100 second hand homes have been purchased with approximately 2,000 of those being tenant in situ acquisitions.

It is worth nothing that the Residential Tenancies Board received 16,546 notices of termination in 2024. This was down 13% on 2023. A total of 9,170 of these were issued as a result of landlord intent to sell the property. This was down 20.7% on 2023.

The continuation of tenant in situ acquisitions into 2025 is a clear indication of Government's commitment to preventing homelessness for HAP and RAS tenants who have been served a no-fault notice of termination.

To ensure the most vulnerable cohorts are protected, eligibility criteria are being introduced. These criteria will ensure that priority categories of need such as tenants in situ, older persons, people with disabilities and people exiting homelessness can benefit in a fair and equitable manner from the programme. These criteria include priority for those most at risk, such as families with children, people with disabilities and older or vulnerable persons. It is important to note that the addition of these criteria does not exclude any tenant from the scheme but rather they provide focus for those most in need.

Local authorities are being provided with increased flexibility to respond to local needs and priorities through the allocation of capital funding. This allocation will enable local authorities to assess all available options and to decide on the most appropriate actions in each case. As such, local authorities can identify suitable acquisitions in line with the local circumstances. Since the Minister obtained approval from Government for additional funding this month, officials in my Department have engaged with the local authorities to ensure that these measures are communicated quickly and clearly to staff in local authorities. This will be following very shortly with a circular outlining funding allocations for 2025. In calculating the funding allocations and to ensure each local authority is adequately supported, metrics such as spend and delivery in previous years, the summary of social housing assessments and the number and spatial distribution of HAP and RAS tenancies have been taken into account. The Minister has asked that funding be used optimally to support the maximum number of affected tenants. The Minister has also requested that local authorities be proactive in acquiring properties for priority categories already mentioned, and buy and renew acquisitions which tackle vacancy.

To build on the progress to date, a full review of tenant in situ acquisitions will be undertaken this year. This review will assess the effectiveness of the programme and put forward recommendations on how the second-hand acquisitions programme can, notwithstanding the emphasis on additional supply through new build, become a permanent and targeted policy response for those most in need for whom there are no other options. The targeting of tenant in situ acquisitions in 2025 will provide increased clarity and equity to the programme ensuring those who are most at risk are protected.

Refurbishment funding will not be available under the second-hand acquisitions programme for tenant in situ acquisitions. Such properties are the beneficiaries of significant Exchequer funded rent supports every week, are legally required to meet the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and are subject to inspection by local authorities to ensure they meet those standards. Immediate essential repairs, therefore, should not be required. Some refurbishment works may be required in the short to medium term but these should be noted as part of the condition survey and programmed for future planned maintenance works such that the capital funding available for tenant in situ acquisitions is dedicated to maximising the number of acquisitions. Funding for works that are not immediately required would prevent the number of acquisitions being maximised.

There are a number of funding programmes available for local authorities to improve their social housing stock including the planned maintenance programme, the disabled persons grant, the regeneration programme, and the energy efficiency retrofit programme. Refurbishment funding is available for acquisitions under exits from homelessness, older and disabled persons, and buy and renew, where works are required to ensure the property meets the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 or for adaptation requirements to accommodate the tenant.

This Government is dedicated to addressing the housing crisis and is committed to the continuation of the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme for priority needs and, in particular, tenant in situ acquisitions, which can be an important measure in preventing homelessness. This commitment has been demonstrated by the provision of increased funding and the improved arrangements for 2025.

In opposing the motion, the Government highlights the success of the programme to date, namely the fact that almost 7,000 second hand-homes have been acquired since 2020 and in the period 2023 to the third quarter of 2024, more than 3,100 second-hand acquisitions have been completed. Of the latter, 2,000 were through the tenant in situ scheme. The Government is committed to continuing with a targeted second-hand acquisitions programme, which will prioritise the most vulnerable households within the priority areas being supported but which will not act to exclude persons or households. In implementing the programme, local authorities are being asked to and are being given the flexibility to respond to local needs, and single persons and couples can be supported.

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