Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 337: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the local authorities which have participated to date in the leasing initiative; the amount of the €20 million provision that has been allocated to each of the participating local authorities; the number of properties acquired to date by each local authority under the scheme; the average cost and duration of the lease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18446/09]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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To date, 9 authorities have received approval in principle to enter into advanced negotiations in respect of some 324 new units. These authorities are: Dublin City Council; Leitrim, Laois, Limerick, Meath, Sligo, South Dublin and Wexford County Councils; and Sligo Borough Council. In addition, a number of other authorities have indicated their intent to submit proposals for the leasing arrangements in the coming weeks.

In relation to the proposals received, given the ongoing nature of the contract negotiations, it would not be appropriate to give further details on either the costs or the specific locations of the projects at this stage. However, as stated in the reply to Question No. 2 of 7 May 2009, I expect that authorities should be able to secure leasing costs of at least 20% below market value. This reflects the element of risk, such as vacancies and management and maintenance responsibilities, being transferred to the housing authority.