Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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361. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider eliminating local authorities from purchasing further housing units in housing developments which have already provided the units under Part V of The Planning and Development Act 2000. [22449/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding support to local authorities to acquire suitable new and second-hand housing for social housing use. The selection of such housing is a matter for local authorities as the housing authorities for their areas. The guidance from my Department to local authorities in this regard is that such acquisitions meet priority housing need and that the authorities satisfy themselves regarding suitability, quality, value for money and desirable tenure mix as outlined in the document Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities, which can be accessed on my Department’s website at: .

The tenure composition of developments and estates will change over time and local authorities, when making decisions to acquire further housing, will have regard to the social housing already present in a development, including those acquired via Part V arrangements. In the circumstances, it is appropriate that local authorities judge whether or not acquisitions for social housing purposes are appropriate, based on the individual circumstances that apply in each case.