Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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815. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of acquisition of residential units (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37220/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).

For 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter to all local authorities in March, setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional target for social housing acquisitions in 2023 and these allocations are being kept under review.

In relation to the detail supplied, my Department is engaging with Focus Ireland in relation to a number of potential acquisitions that they are considering in conjunction with the relevant local authorities. No funding application has been submitted for the scheme referred to. However, my Department will consider any applications which align with the objectives of the scheme.