Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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486. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in view of his recently announced capital programme, the crisis in the social housing sector and the public service embargo, the steps that have been taken by his Department to ensure that the housing departments of local authorities are adequately staffed to meet the pressures arising from the need to sustain tendencies, to secure properties for the rental accommodation scheme or long-term leasing, to plan or undertake a building programme, to identify and purchase suitable properties, to engage meaningfully with the voluntary housing sector, to deal constructively with housing applicants presenting themselves at local authorities offices and to support the placement of homeless persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19480/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Since the publication of the Social Housing Strategy, and indeed beforehand, my Department has engaged with local authorities, with a view to ensuring their capacity and preparedness for delivery of the ambitious targets to 2020. My Department works closely with all local authorities and all have been invited to submit staffing sanction requests to facilitate the delivery of the Government's Social Housing Strategy. Each staffing sanction request is examined on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. To date, my Department has received in excess of 300 staffing requests and has already approved the majority of these.

Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisation arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible.