Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 540: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to assist persons on lone parent allowance living in social housing who need to transfer to another area in order to have any realistic prospect of employment. [8080/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, signed into law in July 2009, provides the legal framework for a new approach to the allocation of social housing by local authorities. The progressive implementation of this new framework will provide for clearer provisions in relation to preferences identified by applicant households, including location preferences.

Notwithstanding this, it will remain a matter for housing authorities to make decisions with regard to transfer applications in accordance with the terms of their allocation schemes.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 541: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of proposals from local authorities and other housing agencies for the leasing of properties for housing purposes which have been approved to date by his Department; the location of such properties by local authority; if such properties are owned by financial institutions, banks, property developers, the National Asset Management Agency and so on; the number of such approvals which have been refused subsequently by the banks; the reason therefor; the action he is taking as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8087/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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At the end of January 2010, some 27 housing authorities and 4 approved housing bodies have had projects approved under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative comprising over 2,000 units. A breakdown of the units per authority/approved body is provided in the table below. To protect the privacy of individual households in receipt of housing support, it is not the normal practice to provide information on the location such properties.

Breakdown by LA, Approved Housing Body and status end of January 2010

My Department does not collect information in relation to the ownership of the properties supplied under the Social Housing Leasing Initiative. While discussions have taken place with a range of relevant parties, including the banking sector and the National Assets Management Agency, regarding the Initiative, my Department would generally not be aware of the details of individual negotiations between authorities, property owners and financial institutions.