Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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1152. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if new TIS guidelines allow for older people and people with disabilities to be considered under the scheme even in cases where they do not have children living with them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18622/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased that the Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support for Tenant in Situ acquisitions in 2025, following on from similar investments in 2023 and 2024.

I have made €325 million available to our local authorities for their social housing second hand acquisitions activity in 2025 and asked that they prioritise Tenant in Situ acquisitions but have also allowed for other categories of acquisitions, supporting persons/families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on Housing First targets; specific housing required for people with a disability or the elderly and vacant properties under the Buy & Renew scheme.

Despite some coverage to the contrary, the eligibility criteria for Tenant in Situ acquisitions in 2025 is not overly restrictive. It is largely the same as guidance issued in June, 2024 and not substantially different to what was required in 2023. We have asked local authorities, as we did in previous years, to ensure that they are responding to a valid Notice of Termination where there is a real risk of homelessness and to examine all options for the ongoing accommodation of the household before progressing with an acquisition.

We have also asked that local authorities would give priority to families with children, older persons or people with a disability who are at serious risk of homelessness; however prioritising households should not be interpreted as excluding any household and the final decisions in relation to each individual acquisition rests, as it should, with the local authority.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1153. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if increased funding will be provided to county councils to meet the demand under the built heritage investment scheme 2025 as some applicants have been approved but have been placed on a reserve list; and if he will expedite a positive decision on the matter. [18625/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Oireachtas votes funding each year for a variety of programmes to encourage and support investment in built heritage, including the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS). The funding available for these programmes in the current year was determined in Budget 2025.

In February of this year, I awarded €8.1m of funding under the BHIS. This is a record allocation to the scheme. As is usual for the BHIS, demand for grants exceeded the funding available, and projects were prioritised for funding according the significance of the structure in question, the quality and efficacy of the proposed works, and the contribution which the works would make to public amenity. Where a project awarded a grant does not proceed for some reason, the local authority may re-allocate the savings to a project on its reserve list, which allows for efficient use of the allocated vote funding.

In view of the strong demand for the scheme and the excellent public value which it delivers, I hope to maintain and enhance the allocation to the BHIS in future years, subject of course to competing priorities and the availability of funds.