Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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22. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of properties acquired by the 31 local authorities to date in 2017; the number that are vacant at present; the average vacancy time for local authority acquisitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52272/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Through the supports made available under Rebuilding Ireland, funding is available to all local authorities to deliver additional social housing stock through new construction projects and through the acquisition of new and previously owned houses/apartments for social housing use, including through working with approved housing bodies.

Details on the number of properties purchased by all local authority areas, for letting to those on the social housing waiting lists, are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

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Information on quarter three of 2017 is currently being finalised and will be published shortly. However, current projections are that in addition to the circa. 670 new social homes delivered under the acquisitions programme during quarters one and two, a further 300 approximately have been delivered in quarter three.

The allocation of social housing supports to qualified households is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with the allocation scheme it has made in accordance with Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations. My Department does not hold information on the allocation of acquired houses, but I expect that all such houses would be tenanted immediately when they are available.