Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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651. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to increase the threshold for discretionary spending on housing by local authorities above levels set in budget 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21527/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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At an overall level, the budgetary provision for the delivery of housing in 2019 is €2.4 billion, the largest investment ever in a single year.  This funding will see the housing needs of 27,360 households being met this year. Local authorities derive their income from a variety of sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services, Local Property Tax (LPT) as well as funding from Government Departments and other bodies.  Elected members have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, which includes adopting the annual budget. Accordingly, it is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary processes, having regard to both locally identified needs and the resources available. Local authorities may decide to augment central Government funding for the provision of housing from within their own resources, in line with the authority's agreed budget.