Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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248. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to consider correspondence (details supplied) regarding the second hand capital assistance scheme and the need for additional funding to be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27922/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Through the Social Housing Investment Programme and the Capital Assistance Scheme my Department is providing continuing and substantial financial support to local authorities and approved housing bodies to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need such as tenants-in-situ who had received a Notice of Termination; properties that allow 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.

For 2025, Government has increased the funding available for second hand social housing acquisitions from the €60m allocated under Housing for All to €325m through the allocation of an additional €265m. As was the case in previous years, local authorities are best placed to determine the most appropriate way to prioritise which acquisitions to pursue within the priority categories for second hand acquisitions, based on needs within their area, including working strategically with approved housing bodies under the Capital Assistance Scheme.

My Department has supported Kildare County Council with 176 acquisitions during 2023 and 2024 despite being given an allocation of 110 acquisitions. This year Kildare County Council has been given a capital funding allocation of €15 million for their acquisitions activity, which gives them the flexibility to respond to acute situations, while we continue to support their construction programmes. To date Kildare County Council has only drawn down 21% or c.€3.2m of the €15m funding allocated to them for second hand acquisitions in 2025.

We continue to work with local authorities to address any challenges which have emerged in order to ensure that tenant in situ acquisitions remain an option in 2025 where no other solutions exist.