Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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675. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of the 2,610 social housing acquisitions in 2018 that were purchased vacant; and the number purchased with social housing tenants in situ. [8362/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not hold information in relation to the status of occupation of a property that is acquired for social housing.

In general, properties that are acquired by local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) are vacant. However, should a property that is occupied by a social housing tenant in the private rented sector become available on the market, it is open to a local authority or an AHB to acquire the property once the acquisition falls within the financial terms of the relevant acquisition scheme.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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676. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of the 560 voids included in the 2018 social housing output figures were vacant for more than six months. [8363/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Homes refurbished under the Voids programme are not classified by the length of time they are vacant and my Department does not collect data in that regard. The programme is designed to support the bringing back into use of units that would likely remain vacant for a significant period of time because the cost of the scale of works required could not be met by the local authority. It is a matter for each local authority to determine suitable properties for inclusion in the programmes.