Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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82. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to restrict no-fault evictions here; the number of units purchased by each local authority as part of the tenant in situ scheme in each county throughout the eviction moratorium; and if he is satisfied that data sharing arrangements with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, are adequate for prioritising tenants facing no-fault eviction who are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, in the context of the scheme. [12189/23]

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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On the same theme, obviously the eviction ban has not been extended. The Minister mentioned in his response to Deputy Ó Broin's question that a number of units were coming on stream. What is the Minister doing now to restrict no-fault evictions? What is he doing to increase the number of tenant in situpurchases? Is he satisfied with the data sharing arrangements between the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, and the local authorities?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Smith for the question. As he knows, the Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was a time-limited enactment which provided for a stay on eviction notices up to 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June 2023.

In terms of the longer term, my Department has commenced a major review of the private rented sector to ensure that the sector is put on a sound footing, which provides certainty for both tenants and landlords, including in relation to tenancy terms. In relation to purchase of properties with tenancies in situ, I reinstated delegated sanction to local authorities in April 2022 to acquire social housing properties, including one-bedroom units; other properties that allow persons and families to exit homelessness; and specific housing required for individuals with a disability or other priority need. Limited acquisitions through the capital assistance scheme are also being approved for specific vulnerable cohorts, such as housing for older people, the homeless and people with a disability. While my Department does not hold data on the occupation status of properties acquired for social housing or on whether a HAP or RAS tenant was in situat the time of purchase, we are collating that data. I said that during the last round of questions we had. We intend to publish the data when we have the final year figures. I can assure the Deputy that it is my intention to acquire up to 1,500 social homes this year. Those will be specifically targeted for purchase with tenants in situ, where the tenant is a HAP or a RAS tenant. The majority of these will be focused on landlords who are exiting the market. We need to ramp that up and expedite it. I met with every CEO and every director of service for housing in local authorities last week in Wexford, and this was reiterated to them. The resources for local authorities will be put firmly behind them to accelerate this programme. It is a good way of getting additional public housing stock in and, most importantly, making sure that those people who are already on our social housing list can stay in their homes and those homes revert to public ownership.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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I have two follow-up questions. It was April 2022 when the Minister asked the local authorities to start the tenant in situ scheme. Why have the numbers been so low? Why are the local authorities not listening to the Minister? Why are they not acting on his instructions? Is it down to the scheme itself being too cumbersome, too bureaucratic, or is it down to resistance at a local authority level? I ask the Minister to tell me why they have not been listening to him. Second, there is no social or public housing unit that is going to be brought into stock that is going to be or should be a surprise to the Minister. There is a lead-in time for the acquisition or building of any stock. With all the analysis the Department has been doing, all the meetings the Minister has been having and everything that he knows, can he indicate what his projections are over April, May, June and July in terms of the homelessness figures and how they are going to project? The homelessness figure is 11,754 now - an all-time record. With the eviction ban ending, how high does the Minister think these numbers will go in the next three to four months in real terms?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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On the last question the Deputy asked, and looking at the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, DRHE, data over the period of the eviction ban, homelessness stabilised. It did increase in some areas. The biggest single reason for that - about 25% of those presenting as homeless - was relationship breakdowns, and not due to other issues. The data are all published and are available.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Ó Broin might try to behave himself. I am answering Deputy Smith, who has put a very valid question here.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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He is representing the figures.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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What we are doing is that we have acquired about 600 properties from July. There was a target of 200 for 2022. As Deputy Smith knows from dealing with constituents in our area, once the council enters into those negotiations there is a conveyancing period to close the sale. Some local authorities have been using figures of closed sales only, ignoring the fact that there are others in process. That is the important thing. Knowing that the council will purchase the home gives the tenant the security. I will come back on his other questions in the supplementary.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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We also know of applications for the tenant in situ scheme that have just been refused. They are not in conveyancing. To all intents and purposes, the application should fit the model. There may be a tenant who is on HAP who is going to be made homeless and in my experience, the application has hit the wall in a relatively quick period of time. That is not in conveyancing; it has just stopped. That is a person who will have to present to the homeless desk.

What figures are the Minister is expecting when we reach the cliff edge? It is going to be a cliff edge, because the decision has been made. What figures is the Minister expecting? To what extent will these homeless figures increase in the coming two to three months? The Minister has to have an expectation as to what these numbers will be, given all the data that are out there that should be, and I imagine are, being channelled through the Minister's Department.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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We do not have projections for the coming months, but if we look at when notices to quit are issued, they do not directly correlate into homelessness figures. The same number of notices to quit do not exactly match the numbers going into emergency homeless accommodation. There is movement within the market already. As I said earlier, we have a made a difficult decision, but it is the correct one in the medium term. We have lost thousands of tenancies from the private rental market in the last six or seven years. We need a functioning private rental sector also.

To answer the Deputy's question with regard to refusals, when the tenant is in situthere have been a number of refusals through it. We have gone back to the local authorities and we have given a very clear direction to them. There needs to be some discretion. In some instances, there can be a refusal because the property is a very poor state, but I have told the local authorities very clearly that they have to purchase properties when there is a tenant in situwho is a HAP or RAS tenant. We are bringing in other measures for private tenants as well. We will be ramping that up. The local authorities have the resources and the capital. I would like to exceed the target of 1,500. If we exceed 1,500, there will be further resources for further homes to be purchased as well.