Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 434: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there are any proposals or planned legislation to assist the thousands of persons who are unable to sell one or two bedroom properties and who need to move for family, overcrowding or work reasons; and if he will consider allowing local authorities and housing agencies to acquire such properties to reduce their waiting lists or to introduce some form of rental scheme which would allow homeowners to move on. [4839/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Any housing specific interventions must be targeted in nature and designed to achieve specific outcomes. The main focus in terms of supports provided by Government must be on meeting the most acute needs – the housing support needs of those unable to provide for their accommodation from own resources.

The financial parameters in which we are operating for the coming years rule out a return to very large capital funded construction or acquisition programmes by local authorities. Nevertheless, we are committed to responding more quickly and on a larger scale to social housing support needs through a variety of mechanisms including through increased provision of social housing.

Delivery of social housing will be primarily facilitated through more flexible funding models. The social housing leasing initiative and, in particular, the Rental Accommodation Scheme, will each play their parts as long term social housing supports.

The Government is also committed to developing other funding mechanisms that will increase the supply of permanent new social housing. Such mechanisms will include options to purchase, build to lease and the sourcing of loan finance by approved housing bodies for construction and acquisition.