Housing Provision

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

Questions (72)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

72. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the extent to which he can identify, through the various local authorities, suitably developed sites on which builders can be contracted to provide extra homes in the shortest possible time and utilising variations of housing proposals to achieve these, including modular homes and conventional methods, to provide houses for those on local authority waiting lists and those who have so far failed to qualify for a mortgage or an affordable house; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42874/24]

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Oral answers (2 contributions)

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

The question adequately explains the situation I and several others are faced with. I compliment the Minister. He has shed some considerable light on a situation that annoys us from time to time. With particular reference to the tenant in situ scheme, my experience has been that the proposal is refused in the first instance, although the landlord is willing to sell and so on. In some cases, it is because the house is deemed to be in excess of the size required by a particular family. One case that comes to mind is a household of six people. The house was big enough for them, but it is being repossessed and will have to be reconfigured in such a way as to make it possible. Otherwise, they will placed on the homeless list and will be looking for a local authority house, which they will not get. I compliment the Minister on his clarification of some of the issues this evening. I hope action can be taken as a matter of urgency.

Deputy Alan Dillon

On the tenant in situ scheme, as the Minister outlined earlier, it is a demand-led scheme. We have asked local authorities to bring forward potential properties under the scheme and also under the Department's social housing investment programme. We are making available to all local authorities and approved housing bodies funds to deliver new social housing in direct construction and in partnership with turnkey developments. More than 25,000 new-build social housing units are currently at design-tender stage. These will offer huge opportunities to building contractors across the country and will certainly account for much of the supply that will be required to drive social housing delivery into 2025 and 2026.

Questions Nos. 59 to 61, inclusive, taken with Written Answers.

Question No. 62 taken with Question No. 56.

Question No. 63 taken with Question No. 57.