Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

269. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of positions that remain vacant in the housing section of Cork City Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36947/25]

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

270. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of positions remain vacant in the housing section of Cork County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36948/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 270 together.

Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible. My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis. However, data on the number of vacant posts is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from Cork City Council and Cork County Council respectively.

With specific regard to social housing delivery, in 2021 the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office engaged with each local authority to identify their additional staff requirements to deliver social housing. Following this engagement, my Department approved funding for Cork City for eleven additional posts, all of which were in situ at the end of Q1 2025. Cork County Council were approved for nine posts, five of which were in situ at the end of Q1 2025.

In terms of affordable housing delivery, during 2023 and 2024 the Housing Delivery Co-ordination Office engaged with local authorities to identify their additional staff requirements to deliver affordable housing. Following this engagement, my Department approved funding for Cork City for ten additional posts, all of which were in situ at the end of Q1 2025. Cork County Council were approved for ten posts, seven of which are understood to be in situ at the end of Q1 2025.