Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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325. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of funding provided to a local authority (details supplied) to purchase private houses for social housing applicants in each of the years 2017 to 2020 inclusive in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44678/20]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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326. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of private houses a local authority (details supplied) purchased for social housing applicants in each of the years 2017 to 2020 inclusive in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44679/20]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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327. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a local authority (details supplied) has applied for funding to purchase further private houses for social housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44680/20]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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328. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a local authority (details supplied) has used the allocation of funding provided to it to purchase private houses for social housing applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44682/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 to 328, inclusive, together.

In respect of the local authority identified by the Deputy, the funding provided for the acquisition of 2nd hand properties for social housing purposes in each of the years 2017 to 2020 inclusive is as follows -:

Statistics on the delivery of social housing by each local authority, including by 2^ndhand acquisitions, are available on my Department’s website at the following link: . These statistics are updated on a quarterly basis and data for Q4 of 2020 is now being validated and will be published as soon as possible. There is not always a direct relationship between the funding provided for the acquisition of 2nd hand properties in any year and the number of new social homes delivered where, for example, a property might be acquired in one year but upgrade works and the allocation of the property, may follow in the subsequent year. Acquisitions of 2nd hand properties are also carried out under my Department's Traveller Accomodation Programme and by Approved Housing Bodies with funding support from my Department; these are not included in the above data.

My Department does not provide a funding allocation to any local authority for the acquisition of 2nd hand houses for social housing purposes; rather each local authority has an annual target for the delivery of social housing and funding is drawn down by each local authority in line with their delivery.

In line with the Programme for Government 2020 – Our Shared Future, our objective is to increase the social housing stock by over 50,000 over the next five-years through a focus on new build.  It is important therefore, that all local authorities prioritise the delivery of new social homes by construction over acquisitions.