Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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190. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total number of residential dwellings purchased to date in 2023; and the total number of first-time buyers who have purchased residential dwellings to date in 2023, by county, in tabular form. [47128/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Data on the number of residential dwellings purchased, including by first-time buyers, are captured and published by the Central Statistics Office.

The most recent data, for the period to end-August 2023, show more than 41,700 dwellings were purchased by all buyer types between January and August this year. Some 11,000 or 26.5% of these were purchased by first-time buyers, an increase of 2% on the same period last year.

A county-by-county breakdown of purchases by households and non-households is available from the CSO at data.cso.ie/table/HPM02.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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191. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which his Department can offer further latitude for immediate expenditure by the various local authorities on measures to address the housing crisis by way of direct build; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47236/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Data on the number of residential dwellings purchased, including by first-time buyers, are captured and published by the Central Statistics Office.

The most recent data, for the period to end-August 2023, show more than 41,700 dwellings were purchased by all buyer types between January and August this year. Some 11,000 or 26.5% of these were purchased by first-time buyers, an increase of 2% on the same period last year.

A county-by-county breakdown of purchases by households and non-households is available from the CSO at data.cso.ie/table/HPM02.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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192. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which a person (details supplied) can be expected to acquire housing accommodation in the current housing climate, who is a refugee, who received written accommodation from his Department to say they can no longer facilitate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47238/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.

To qualify for social housing support a household must meet all of the eligibility criteria, which primarily relate to income, availability of alternative accommodation and previous rent arrears. If a household meets the eligibility and need criteria, it qualifies for the suite of social housing supports, including HAP, and is placed on the housing list to be considered for the allocation of suitable tenancies in accordance with the authority’s allocation scheme.

Under legislation, a local authority is independent in the performance of its functions and as Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any individual case with which a housing authority is or may be concerned. I am therefore not in a position to comment on or deal with an individual case.

Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.

Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes; 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing and 28,500 new affordable homes in the period 2022-2026.