Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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727. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of empty or unoccupied domestic dwellings in County Wexford by local electoral area; the action that has been taken to date in relation to these properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19213/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not hold the data on the amount of empty or unoccupied domestic dwellings in the State, nor does it hold data on the number of vacant properties in local electoral areas.

My Department is focused on ensuring that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent including a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland.In that regard, my Department and local authorities are being proactive in dealing with vacant properties and there are a number of schemes available to incentivise reactivating suitable dwellings into the liveable housing stock.

The National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy was published in July 2018, and provides a targeted, effective and coordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland. The range of objectives and actions it specifies have been pursued in partnership with stakeholders and agencies across the housing sector to address vacancy in our housing stock.

The key drivers of these actions are: local authorities, the Housing Agency, and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), supported by schemes available within my Department specifically designed to tackle vacancy, such as the Repair and Lease Scheme, the Buy and Renew Scheme and the Long Term Leasing Scheme.

- The Repair and Leasing Scheme is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring their properties up to the required standard for rental properties. The scheme provides upfront funding to carry out the works and, in return, the property owner agrees to lease the dwelling to the local authority to be used as social housing for a period up to 25 years. The maximum loan for property repair available under the scheme has been increased by my Department from €40,000 to €60,000. 27 properties have been brought back into use under the Repair and Lease Scheme in County Wexford.

- The Buy and Renewinitiative allows local authorities to purchase private vacant properties for use as social housing. 9 properties have been brought back into use under the scheme in County Wexford.

- The Housing Acquisitions Fundis a €70 million revolving that was established in January 2017 with the objective of enabling the Housing Agency to acquire vacant units from banks and investment companies for social housing use. The fund is replenished by the Housing Agency through the sale of units primarily to the AHB sector and the funds received are then recycled back into the fund for future acquisitions. To date 16 properties have been brought back into use through the fund in County Wexford.

Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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728. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of empty or unoccupied council owned properties in County Wexford by local electoral area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19214/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock. This will fluctuate over time, as tenancy surrender and re-letting of stock is an ongoing process. Therefore, ongoing data in relation to the current location and number of vacant local authority units are not collated by my Department.

However, statistics in relation to social housing stock, at a point in time, are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their Annual Reports on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including levels of vacancy in local authority owned properties. The most recent report, relating to 2019, is available on the NOAC website at the following link:

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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729. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of Part V social homes delivered by each local authority in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19224/21]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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791. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of units classified as turnkey units in each of the years 2017 to 2020 that were delivered as Part V units by year and local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20186/21]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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792. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of turnkey acquisitions by approved housing bodies and local authorities in each of the years 2017 to 2020 that were refurbishments, repairs or conversions of existing buildings and structures by year and local authority area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20187/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 729, 791 and 792 together.

Turnkey social homes are generally new homes built by developers under contract for local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). Turnkeys commonly provide a faster delivery of units (in the majority of cases, planning permission is already secured). In many instances, turnkey delivery has provided a means of delivery in locations where there is a social housing need but where a local authority has no suitable sites. Turnkeys purchased by local authorities or AHBs frequently have arisen where the developer has difficulty in financing the development and without the agreement to purchase by the local authority or the AHB, the scheme would not otherwise have been delivered. These homes are directly expanding overall housing supply because they are new homes built for the local authority or AHBs.

My Department published the Quarter 4 2020 Social Housing Construction Status Report, which provides details of all social housing developments, which have been completed or are under construction in each local authority. The report is available at the following link: .

A version of this file can be downloaded at the following link and used for various analysis in terms of programme, stage of activity, location, quarter of completion, number of homes, etc.

Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, requires that every planning permission to which the Part applies contains a condition that a Part V agreement be entered into between the developer and the planning authority for the transfer of land or units to the planning authority for the provision of social and affordable housing. When submitting a planning application, developers must specify how they intend to comply with these obligations. The homes delivered under Part V, following the introduction of changes to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, effected through the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the relevant sections of which were commenced with effect from 1 September 2015), the range of options available through which Part V obligations might be satisfied was reduced. In particular, the payment of cash in lieu of homes or the transfer of sites or parts of sites was removed, and instead the remaining options are focused on the delivery of completed homes.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity. This data is available to the end of 2020, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: .

Details of the number of homes delivered through Part V in each local authority are available at the following link: .

My Department does not hold any details in relation to turnkeys delivered through refurbishments or repairs of existing buildings.