Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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349. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of properties brought back into use by Galway County Council through the buy and renew, repair and lease and the Housing Agency Fund in tabular form. [29844/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity.  This includes detailed data on the Repair and Lease (RLS), including data on delivery through RLS for each local authority since 2016. The data is available to the end of Quarter 1 2021.  Housing statistics are published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/

Since January 2017, the Housing Agency has managed an acquisitions fund of €70 million, which is a revolving fund was established with the objective of acquiring 1,600 social housing homes in the period to 2021. This has enabled the Housing Agency to actively engage with banks and investment companies in relation to the acquisitions of properties.  Since 2017, 22 social housing homes have been acquired through the Housing Agency Acquisitions Fund in Galway County Council.

Capital funding is also provided to local authorities to acquire a range of properties for social housing use. To assist local authorities pursuing vacant properties, the Buy & Renew Scheme makes funding available to facilitate local authorities in acquiring and remediating vacant properties that may be suitable for social housing.  Galway County Council has supported an approved housing body to deliver two new homes through Buy and Renew in Ballinasloe under the Capital Assistance Scheme.

My Department is working to support increased Buy and Renew activity in local authorities. Galway County Council is actively pursuing opportunities to deliver new social housing through acquiring and remediating vacant properties and will utilise the Buy & Renew Scheme for this purpose.