Written answers

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Housing Provision

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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629. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the Call for Housing; the number of properties that have been offered; and the number of properties that have been acquired. [39521/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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To July 20th 2021, 311 properties were offered for sale to the Housing Agency including 42 properties also offered for leasing. A further 138 properties were offered for leasing or for Rental Accommodation Scheme arrangements. Of the properties offered for sale, 45 proceeded to sale, with 32 of these purchases completed to date. A further number of properties submitted to the Housing Agency are being pursued by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies independently.

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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630. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of homes brought into use to date in 2021 via the repair and lease scheme. [39522/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Data to end Q1 2021 in relation to dwellings delivered by each local authority under the Repair and Leasing Scheme, broken down by year, is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls.

My Department is currently collecting data from local authorities regarding delivery in Q2 2021. This data will be published when the process is complete.

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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631. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of homes brought into use to date in 2021 via the buy and renew scheme. [39523/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Since the Buy and Renew Scheme was introduced, local authorities have used it to acquire and renew approximately 700 homes for social housing use.  Statistical information for delivery in 2021 is only published for Quarter 1 so far, in which 10 further Buy and Renew properties were acquired.  Statistical information for Quarter 2 of 2021 is being collected and will be published shortly. 

I have asked local authorities to increasingly target vacant and derelict properties that can be brought back to use as part of new public housing delivery, particularly where good value for money can be obtained and there is no impact on the local property market and I have assured them of my Department's support in this regard.  Going forward, local authorities will be tackling such vacancy and dereliction through a more construction-led approach to deliver new social homes on existing sites and to support town centre and urban improvements.

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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632. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of homes acquired via the Housing Agency to date in 2021; and the average cost of each unit. [39524/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Housing Agency has been provided with direct capital funding to facilitate the acquisition of suitable portfolios of vacant properties for social housing from financial institutions and investors.  An Acquisitions Fund of €70m was established with effect from 1 January 2017, with the objective of acquiring some 1,600 homes over the period to 2021, for onward sale to Approved Housing Bodies for use for social housing purposes.   

In Q1 2021 the Housing Agency delivered 5 units with an average price of €197,000 per unit.  Statistics for Q2 2021 are currently being collated and will be published in due course.

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