Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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1292. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the date the tenant-in-situ programme will resume as many applications are left pending without a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20112/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased that the Government is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need including tenants-in-situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP or RAS and who had received a Notice of Termination. The other priority categories for second-hand acquisitions are properties that allow persons/families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on Housing First targets; and specific housing required for people with a disability or other particular priority needs.

The €325 million available to our local authorities for their social housing second-hand acquisitions activity in 2025, which was notified to them late last month, is part of almost €2 billion in total which is supporting our local authorities and AHBs to deliver new social homes in 2025. Our main emphasis remains on constructing new homes and that unquestionably, is the correct approach.

I have asked our local authorities to use the full range of options for tenants-in-situ who have received a Notice of Termination and acquiring the landlord’s property is one option, but is not the sole option. In some cases, local authorities might use the thousands of new social allocations that they make each and every year, to provide a new tenancy for the families they are supporting. These and casual vacancies are a valuable option given the record numbers of new social homes delivered over recent years. Local authorities might also use their Tenancy Sustainment officers to work with tenants and landlords on options to sustain tenancies.