Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1683. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of land in the ownership of the local authorities that was sold or disposed of in 2016. [36413/17]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1684. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of all local authority land sales or land disposals yielded to the State in 2016. [36414/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1683 and 1684 together.

The information requested is not available in my Department.

However, in accordance with the Local Authority Accounting in Ireland Code of Practice and Accounting Regulations, which is available on my Department's website at the following link: .

Proceeds from the disposal of property, plant and equipment should be credited or debited to a local authority's capital reserve, and accounted for on an accruals basis. The proceeds from disposals should, in accordance with standard and prudent accounting practice, be applied in either the purchase or construction of capital type assets, and as such are recorded in the Annual Financial Statements of the local authority.

Moreover, every local authority is required to maintain a register of all lands in its ownership or leased by the local authority. Where such land is no longer held by the local authority, the date and manner in which the local authority ceased to hold such land and the consideration, if any, paid to the local authority in respect of such land, should be recorded.

In this regard, a local authority may dispose of land no longer required by it for its statutory functions. The procedures to be followed are set out in section 183(1) of the Local Government Act 2001, as amended. The Act provides, inter alia, that prior notice of the disposal be sent to each of the elected members of the local authority. It is a matter for the elected members, by resolution, to decide that the disposal shall not be carried out or that it shall be carried out in accordance with specified terms.

A key objective of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is to increase the supply of high quality social housing and homes at more affordable price points, on local authority lands as quickly as possible, particularly in areas where demand is greatest. In that regard, on 27 April 2017, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to deliver some 42,500 homes nationally. These sites can be viewed at the following link: .

All local authorities have been requested to prepare Strategic Development and Management Plans for their lands by 30 September 2017.