Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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787.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of requests from local authorities for funding for acquisitions and for voids that have been refused or put on hold in 2024, with a breakdown by local authority and amount of funding requested, in tabular form.[34124/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.

Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to supplement the local authority funding available for the preparation of vacant properties for re-letting. The funding was introduced originally to tackle long-term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.

In relation to the 2024 Voids funding programme, my Department has not refused any local authority under the criteria of the Scheme.

For 2023, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department provided funding for local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions have primarily focused on properties where a tenant is in receipt of social housing supports and has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. For 2024, Government has again agreed to an increased provision to acquire 1,500 social homes.

It is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy. My Department does not hold data, therefore, on the number of social housing acquisitions applications that have been withdrawn or rejected, nor on the reasons for such withdrawals or rejections. Further information may be available from individual local authorities.