Written answers

Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Local Authorities

Photo of Maurice QuinlivanMaurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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237. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the request by Limerick City and County Council for additional funding to acquire three additional staff for its housing department; when a response to this request will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20762/23]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible. Staff sanction requests for additional staff are considered in light of Government priorities and other requirements when received and consideration is also given to the overall staffing levels of the local authority and its ability to meet the ongoing costs involved.

In terms specifically of housing delivery, Housing for All commits to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to initiate, design, plan, develop and manage housing projects and recognises that it requires the resourcing of housing services of local authorities. In this context, I approved funding for 250 posts for local authority housing teams to support the delivery of social housing. Funding has been approved for a five-year period from 2022 to 2026 with a potential to extend the funding to 2030, subject to the availability of the capital funding as well as the delivery of targets in each local authority area.

Furthermore, an initial tranche of 69 affordable housing staff posts were approved in October 2022 and communicated to each of the respective local authorities with an affordability constraint. This is a key requirement to underpin affordable housing delivery and ensuring the required structures are in place to enable affordable housing delivery as a matter of priority. My Department and the Housing Delivery Coordination Office in the Local Government Management Agency will be monitoring this programme further to a review of any additional supports being examined in 2023.

Out of the overall number of additional posts approved, seven posts have been approved for social housing delivery and four posts for affordable housing delivery in Limerick City and County Council.

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