Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 773: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide a breakdown of the location of the 1,100 unsold affordable houses here; the period of time that they have been unsold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14862/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to the reply to Question No. 313 of 4 February 2010, which gives numbers of unsold affordable homes by local authority area at the beginning of February this year. The total figure of 1,158 reported at that time by the authorities excludes those homes which have been approved by the Department for deployment under the social leasing and RAS schemes.

The situation changes very frequently as unsold affordable homes are deployed for other purposes, including temporary use under the social leasing or RAS schemes, as homes are sold and as new units come into the possession of local authorities. Revised figures, which will take account of recent decisions by some local authorities to offer unsold affordable homes on the open market, will be published when available.

My Department does not hold data in relation to the length of time that local authorities have had specific properties available for sale. At any given time, whatever the prevailing market conditions, there will always be a certain level of stock of unsold affordable units on hands, including units in the course of being sold or being readied for sale.