Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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2258. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the work of the departmental working group on housing statistics. [28933/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Housing Data Analytics Group, convened by my Department, met for the first time on 3 May 2017 and is due to meet again on 5 July. The Group is made up of key stakeholders with a significant role and interest in housing matters. At its initial meeting, the Department presented the current position with regard to the housing statistics it publishes and the Central Statistics Office made a presentation on Census 2016 and in particular housing data gathered therein.

Once the summary note of the meeting is cleared by the Group, at its next meeting, it is our intention to publish it and all future meeting notes on the Rebuilding Ireland website (), along with the Group's Terms of Reference.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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2259. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if funding requests from the housing agency for the purchase of vacant homes were refused in 2016 or in 2017; if so, the amount refused; and the proposed units that were not purchased as a result of this refusal. [28934/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Housing Agency did not have any funding requests for the purchase of vacant homes refused in 2016 or 2017.

Under Actions 1.1, 2.5 and 5.6 of Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, the Housing Agency is actively and positively engaged with banks and investment companies in relation to its acquisitions programme. €70m is being provided in 2017 to the Housing Agency to establish a revolving fund to acquire some 1,600 units over the period to 2020 for social housing use.  The fund will be replenished by the Agency through the sale of units primarily to the Approved Housing Body (AHB) sector. 

As of 31^stMay 2017, the Housing Agency has signed contracts for 379 dwellings and 225 of these purchases have closed. The process of selling properties on to Approved Housing Bodies is underway.