Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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130. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware of the long standing housing issues in Carndonagh and Milford town, County Donegal whereby Donegal County Council and affordable housing bodies cannot proceed with the purchase of a large number of properties in both towns, for families and persons on the social housing list due to his Department's limits and rules; and if he will intervene to find a reasonable solution in both instances.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23798/24]

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).

As housing authorities, local authorities are responsible for the identification of the social housing need in their area. The statutory Summary of Social Housing Assessments (SSHA) carried out annually since 2016 captures the total number of households qualified for social housing support to better inform policy and to allow local authorities, such as Donegal County Council, to develop appropriate responses to meet this need. As such, it is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy.

For 2023 and 2024, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire 1,500 second hand social homes this year. The additional acquisitions are focused primarily 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 2024, setting out details of the arrangements for 2024 and each local authority was provided with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions.

It is a matter for Donegal County Council to determine the most appropriate response to the need for social housing supports and to progress the purchase of any second hand acquisitions or new turnkey developments in line with parameters set out by my Department.

My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority, including completed acquisitions. From 2023, this data includes a breakdown of acquisitions completed by each local authority where a Notice of Termination issued to a tenant and is available, for all local authorities, to the end of Quarter 4 2023 on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.