Written Answers Nos. 528-546
528. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with regard to cessation of turf cutting scheme applicants whose scheme is due to end this year, if the scheme will be extended; if not, if other compensation will be provided to these turbary right holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37611/25]
View answerThe Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme was established in 2011 for active domestic turf cutters arising from the restrictions on turf cutting on 53 raised bog special areas of conservation and was extended in 2014 to include 36 raised bog natural heritage areas.
Eligible applicants on raised bog Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) where turf cutting ceased in 2011 will receive their final payment under the 15 year scheme in 2025. Applicants on SACs where turf cutting ceased in 2012 will receive a payment in 2026. Where turf cutting ceased on the raised bog Natural Heritage Areas at different stages between 2014 and 2017; payments will continue to be made annually with final payments being made from 2028 to 2031.
Given the changing environment since the conception of the Scheme, my Department is considering, in light of emerging policies, a new phase of support for existing scheme applicants. This consideration will have regard for other supports available including home energy grants operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland. Once completed, my Department will inform those eligible applicants of the outcome.
529. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans reduce homelessness each year from 2026 to 2030, to meet the Lisbon Declaration timeframe of working towards ending homelessness by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37693/25]
View answer530. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to report on the timeframe for the development of a homeless prevention framework; whether it will have a budget line and resources dedicated to it in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37694/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 529 and 530 together.
My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities.
Supporting individuals and families at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to addressing homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. The overall capital funding available for housing in 2025 is now over €6.5 billion, to support the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes. Housing supply has increased significantly since the publication of Housing for All in 2021. In particular, 32,787 social homes have been delivered through Build, Acquisition and Leasing schemes from 2022 to 2024. This increased supply of social housing is supporting the increased allocation of homes to households on the social housing waiting list, including households in emergency accommodation.
Ireland signed the Lisbon Declaration in June 2021, which committed all signatories to work towards ending homelessness by 2030. The Government reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to the Lisbon Declaration in the Programme for Government.
Housing for All, which was published in 2021, contains a suite of actions that have, and continue to, increase the provision of housing through accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes for our citizens. The Plan also includes a range of measures to address homelessness. The new Programme for Government includes additional measures which the Government will take to address homelessness. This includes a commitment to developing a holistic, cross departmental approach to homelessness prevention. It is intended to commence work on developing a national Homelessness Prevention Framework this year to ensure all possible measures are being taken across Government to prevent homelessness.
Funding of €303 million is available for the delivery of homeless services in 2025. This funding supports the provision of emergency accommodation and wrap around supports. In addition, capital funding of €25m will support the delivery of high quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness. A key focus of local authorities and their service delivery partners is to support households in emergency accommodation to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy.
531. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to report on the collaborative work he plans to undertake with his colleague, the Minister for Health, on issues around health and homelessness and what shared resources will be brought forward in budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37695/25]
View answerMy Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities.
In line with government policy, my Department, the Department of Health, the HSE together with local authorities, have a joint responsibility and commitment to provide a preventative, person-centred and coordinated response to delivering homeless services which involves the provision of suitable housing together with a set of appropriate health and social supports that assist the service user in maintaining a tenancy together with ensuring optimal physical and mental health. The importance of the HSE role in the provision of homeless services is reflected in their statutory role in the joint homelessness consultative forums and the regional statutory management groups, as outlined in section 38 and 39 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.
The Department of Health has a number of existing actions in Housing for All, Ireland’s Housing Plan to 2030, and the HSE is a key member of the Steering Group of the Youth Homelessness Strategy.
In addition, Housing for All committed to the further expansion of Housing First. The implementation of the Plan is a joint initiative of my Department, the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the criminal justice sector (the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service) and Local Authorities, in conjunction with NGO partners.
Suitable housing conditions are a key social determinant of health. Collaborative delivery of housing and health supports under Housing First are designed to ensure that no person is excluded from either housing or health support. Health supports, provided by the HSE and Department of Health, are an integral component of settlement and a person’s return to independent living and these principles inform Housing First. The Programme for Government, Securing Ireland’s Future, commits to creating 2,000 Housing First tenancies to help eliminate long term homelessness.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to ensure a holistic, cross departmental approach to homelessness prevention. My Department will shortly be contacting relevant Departments, including the Department of Health to participate in the development of a homelessness prevention framework to meet this commitment.
To support the coordination of the response to homeless issues by Government, the National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, was established in 2021. The primary objective of the Committee is to bring together key Government Departments, including the Department of Health, agencies and stakeholders, to oversee implementation of the homeless inter-agency measures committed to under Housing for All and to ensure for coherence and co-ordination of homeless related services in delivering policy measures and actions. Further information on the work of this Committee is available on my Department’s website here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/aad47-national-homeless-action-committee/.
532. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if capital assistance scheme funding will be provided to an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37738/25]
View answerHousing for All places an emphasis on the development of emergency accommodation through local authority or Approved Housing Body (AHB) owned facilities. Such developments will include the acquisition of existing properties for conversion, and land or sites to develop purpose built facilities, using the capital funding streams available to local authorities and AHBs. Looking to the future, such facilities in the ownership of local authorities and AHBs have the scope in time to be repurposed to support social housing delivery.
My Department is currently engaging with the relevant local authority in relation to an application for capital funding in respect of the named building. The application is being reviewed in accordance with my Department's Guidelines on New Emergency Accommodation, published in 2022. Once all requested documentation has been provided to my Department, a decision with regard to Capital Funding can be made .
533. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the ongoing housing crisis and the need to support families in mortgage-to-rent schemes in meeting their financial and social needs, if his Department has considered reviewing or amending current legislation and tenancy agreements to allow such tenants to sublet one or two rooms in their homes, provided that any such subtenancies are formally registered with the Residential Tenancies Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37761/25]
View answerThe Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears that have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process. In order for a borrower to qualify for the MTR scheme, the mortgage, property and household must meet the eligibility criteria, including being eligible for social housing support.
A homeowner whose home was purchased under the MTR scheme by an Approved Housing Body (AHB) is a tenant of that AHB and if the home was purchased by one of the private companies operating under the MTR scheme, is a tenant of the local authority. Once a homeowner's property is acquired through the MTR scheme, they become a social housing tenant. They are therefore subject to the same rules in relation to renting out a room in their house as any other social housing tenant.
In March 2023, the Government agreed to extend the Rent-a-Room Relief scheme disregard to social welfare recipients, extend the disregard into medical card criteria, and permit local authority tenancies access to the scheme.
My Department provided for the extension of the Rent-a-Room Relief scheme by working closely with the local authority and AHB sectors to introduce a scheme for third level students. The scheme came into operation on 1 December 2023, and it allows tenants, including local authority tenants, to rent out a room in their homes to eligible third level students, subject to approval.
Section 3A of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 - 2025 provides that a tenant of a dwelling the subject of a tenancy let by an Approved Housing Body shall not assign or sub-let the tenancy.
The issue of renting a room may be addressed in any tenancy agreement between the AHB and their tenant and is a contractual matter between the two parties.
534. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a breakdown on age, nationality, employment status of those in emergency homeless accommodation in Ireland; if his Department stores data on the number of whom suffer from substance abuse or drug addiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37782/25]
View answerMy Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS).
The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and the dependants of these families who accessed emergency accommodation during the relevant count week of the month in question. The most recently published data is in respect of May 2025. The reports are collated on a regional basis and are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data/ and are also published to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform's open data portal, data.gov.ie/.
Since April 2022 my Department has gathered information from local authorities on citizenship of adults accessing emergency accommodation. The citizenship information is broken down by Irish, EEA/UK and Non-EEA and is available on a regional basis at the link above.
My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. These quarterly performance reports include details of the numbers of individuals prevented from entering emergency accommodation, and those exiting emergency accommodation into tenancies and the duration of stay in emergency accommodation. The quarterly progress report summarises the data submitted to the Department.
Since Q2 2023, local authorities have been reporting the reasons for presentations by single adult and family households who newly enter emergency accommodation. A category for ‘Substance Misuse’ as a household reason for presenting and entering emergency accommodation was added in Q3 2024.
The most recent published data is in respect of Q1 2025 and the report is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data/.
535. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of retained female firefighters within the State, and the fire station they are stationed to, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37790/25]
View answer536. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of full-time female firefighters within the State, and the fire station they are stationed to, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37791/25]
View answer537. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount spent by each local authority on female specific facilities to support their female firefighters over the past three years; the amount per year, per station, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37792/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 535 to 537, inclusive, 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/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, granular data, in terms of the number or gender of staff employed in a particular role in each local authority or their place of work, is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from each local authority.
In relation to retained fire services, while my Department does not routinely collect the requested granular level of detail on female participation, The Retained Review – A Review of Recruitment and Retention and the Future sustainability of Service Delivery, published by my Department in December 2022 noted a 1.6% figure for female participation in retained fire services. A recent survey of fire services in May 2025 noted a composite figure of 3% female participation across retained fire services, essentially a doubling of female participation in the interim.
I recently launched a multi-media national campaign to assist local authorities in the on-going recruitment of retained firefighters. The recruitment campaign aims to educate people on the role of the retained fire service and aims to attract a broad range of recruits to reflect the diverse communities they serve.
The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts, 1981 and 2003.
My Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects such as improvements to the network of fire stations and fire service training centres and the procurement of essential frontline fire appliances, ancillary vehicles and equipment.
The Fire Services Capital Programme for the period 2021-2025, with a funding allocation of €61m. Following extensive engagement with fire authorities, a number of proposals for station works etc. were received. The proposals were evaluated and prioritised on the basis of the:
• Area Risk Categorisation of the fire station (population, fire risks, etc.);
• established Health and Safety needs;
• state of development of the project;
• value for money offered by the proposal; and
• the totality of requests from all authorities.
The 2021 - 2025 Programme was projected to see six new fire stations built, continued support for the construction of a further 12 new fire stations and nine fire station refurbishments.
Infrastructural improvements are guided by the principle of providing dignified facilities for all Fire service personnel. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) in my Department is currently revising planning and design guidelines for fire station development projects with guidance regarding the provision of sanitary and washing facilities that they be provided in non-gender specific floor to ceiling individual units.
The NDFEM is actively working with the Women in the Fire Services Network (WFSN) to address perceived barriers for the effective participation of females in fire services. These works are at a nascent stage of development and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues are now a standing agenda item for the quarterly meetings of the NDFEM Management Board.
The table below details the funding received by local authorities over the last three years for improvements to priority fire service infrastructure such as fire stations and Learning & Development centres, with an approximate total of €30.9 million in funding for the period 2022 to date in 2025.
My Department will be identifying new priority fire service infrastructural projects for the period 2026 – 2030 in the coming months. My Department will work closely with each fire authority to progress identified infrastructural projects, within the context of the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide for capital funding.
Any proposal received by my Department requesting further support from the Fire Services Capital Programme is considered with regard to national priorities and the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide.
|
Local Authority |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 (To Date) |
|
Carlow County Council |
€ - |
€ 231,660 |
€ - |
€ - |
|
Cavan County Council |
€ 1,411,928 |
€ - |
€ 405,368 |
€ 3,040 |
|
Clare County Council |
€ 23,068 |
€ 100,274 |
€ 305,506 |
€ - |
|
Cork County Council |
€ 2,003,756 |
€ 234,584 |
€ 1,911,692 |
€ - |
|
Dublin City Council |
€ - |
€ 146,777 |
€ - |
€ - |
|
Galway County Council |
€ - |
€ 408,991 |
€ 2,015,966 |
€ - |
|
Kildare County Council |
€ - |
€ - |
€ 1,111,733 |
€ 2,162,656 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
€ 492,409 |
€ 1,383,900 |
|
|
|
Laois County Council |
€ 189,729 |
€ - |
€ - |
€ - |
|
Longford County Council |
€ 463,416 |
€ - |
€ - |
€ - |
|
Mayo County Council |
€ 1,088,763 |
€ 1,104,857 |
€ 356,878 |
€ - |
|
Meath County Council |
€ 1,015,834 |
€ - |
€ - |
€ - |
|
Monaghan County Council |
€ 52,933 |
€ 530,164 |
€ 1,325,067 |
|
|
Offaly County Council |
€ 102,206 |
€ 53,393 |
€ 2,512,213 |
€ 1,276,553 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
€ 195,718 |
€ 217,311 |
|
€ 66,468 |
|
Sligo County Council |
€ 36,320 |
€ - |
€ - |
€ - |
|
Tipperary County Council |
€ - |
€ 2,832,964 |
€ 579,323 |
€ - |
|
Waterford City & County Council |
€ - |
€ - |
€ 128,472 |
€ - |
|
Wexford County Council |
€ 1,280,312 |
|
€ 925,340 |
|
|
Wicklow County Council |
€ 206,589 |
€ - |
€ - |
€ - |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annual Total |
€8,562,982.30 |
€7,244,875.94 |
€11,577,556.90 |
€3,508,715.44 |
538. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the position regarding local authorities that have fully committed their 2025 funding allocation for the acquisition of second-hand homes under the tenant-in-situ scheme, in particular where a local authority has indicated it will not proceed with further acquisitions without clarity on the funding value and criteria for targeted acquisitions in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37805/25]
View answerMy Department has made €325 million available to our local authorities for their overall social housing second-hand acquisitions activity in 2025. To date, local authorities have drawdown only 30% of the allocated funding available and no local authority has exhausted their individual allocated funding. Funding for social housing acquisitions activity in 2026 and beyond is being considered as part of the NDP review which is scheduled to conclude later this month.
My Department continues 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.
540. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of staff employed at each of the 31 local authorities at the end of 2024, in tabular form. [37835/25]
View answerUnder 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.
Staffing numbers for the local authority sector broken down by local authority area at end Q4 2024 are available on the Public Service Numbers databank, which is hosted and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and is available at the following link:
databank.per.gov.ie/Public_Service_Numbers.aspx?rep=LA.
541. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the reasoning behind the decision, during the biannual review, to not increase the price ceiling in Cork for houses for which support can be sought from the first home scheme; if consideration will be given to increasing the property price ceiling for houses in Galway city for which support can be sought from the first home scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37837/25]
View answerThe First Home Scheme, which launched in July 2022, is a shared equity scheme, designed to help bridge the gap for eligible first-time buyers, eligible homebuyers, and self-builders, between their deposit and mortgage, and the price of their new home (within price ceilings established across the country). Full details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie/
The First Home Scheme Designated Activity Company (DAC) is fully responsible for the operation of the First Home Scheme on behalf of all shareholders, including price ceiling reviews. At its launch, the First Home Scheme Designated Activity Company (DAC) announced it would review all price ceilings at 6-month intervals. The DAC take into account a range of factors as part of these reviews, including the median price and volume of new builds purchased by first time buyers in each local authority area.
At the end of June 2025, the First Home DAC published the outcome of its sixth scheduled review of the price ceilings that apply to qualifying homes and subsequently revised price ceilings. New price ceilings were agreed for 16 local authority areas, including homes in the Cork County local authority area, and came into effect on 1 July 2025. The First Home Scheme DAC will continue to monitor the price ceilings, including in Cork and Galway City, as part of any future review.
More information on price-ceiling reviews is available at the following link: www.firsthomescheme.ie/about-the-scheme/property-price-ceilings/.
542. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to clarify the position in regard to the vacant and derelict property grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37840/25]
View answerPathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000. In order to qualify for the grant, the property must be vacant for 2 years or more at the time of application.
A maximum of two grants are available to any applicant, of which one must be in respect of a home they intend to occupy as their principal private residence and the other may be in respect of a property which will be made available for rent. The grant is not available to registered companies, developers or undertakings and applications can only be made by named individuals.
A review of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was undertaken in 2024. That review has been completed and is under consideration.
543. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 495 of 1 April 2025, the number of graduate planner posts and staff officer posts in the first tranche of supports. [37842/25]
View answer544. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 495 of 1 April 2025, the job titles that the graduate planners from the first tranche of supports took in Meath County Council planning department. [37843/25]
View answer545. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 495 of 1 April 2025, if the supports from him increased capacity in the planning department. [37844/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 543 to 545, inclusive, together.
On 15 October 2024, my Department published a Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources to respond to capacity challenges in the planning sector. This Action Plan provides a detailed roadmap to increase the pool of planning and related expertise needed to ensure a planning system fit for future needs.
Funding was secured in Budget 2025 to support delivery of the Action Plan and a Steering Group was established to coordinate and oversee the development of this Action Plan. This group remains in place to oversee the implementation and ongoing review of the Action Plan. Five Working Groups, the members of which are key stakeholders, have been established to progress grouped actions in the areas of education, national recruitment, international recruitment, system reform and innovation and efficiency.
A copy of the Action Plan can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/51194-ministerial-action-plan-on-planning-resources-october-2024/
In October 2023, my Department conveyed approval to the filling of an initial 100 additional posts, subsequently increased to 101 posts, in the local authority planning sector under the first tranche of a programme of supports for planning resources. Staff allocated under the first tranche are set out in table below.
|
Role |
Total Staff |
|
Administrative Officer |
5 |
|
Assistant Planner |
10 |
|
Assistant Staff Officer |
2 |
|
Clerical Officer |
1 |
|
Conservation Officer |
1 |
|
Executive Engineer |
5 |
|
Executive Planner |
33 |
|
Executive Technician |
6 |
|
Senior Engineer |
1 |
|
Senior Executive Engineer |
3 |
|
Senior Executive Officer |
2 |
|
Senior Executive Planner |
14 |
|
Senior Planner |
3 |
|
Senior Staff Officer |
5 |
|
Staff Officer |
6 |
|
Technician |
3 |
|
Total: |
100 |
|
Additional Post Approved |
|
|
Clerical Officer |
1 |
|
Total: |
101 |
Under the second tranche, further approval issued in January 2025 for 112 additional posts - 56 graduate planner posts and 56 staff officer posts - to support the Planning function within local authorities.
Under the second tranche, Meath County Council were allocated 2 Graduate Planners (Phase 2a) and 2 Staff Officers (Phase 2b).
Local authorities were notified of their allocation for Phase 2A graduate planner posts on 17 April 2025. A graduate planner recruitment campaign was launched on 13 May 2025 to attract graduate planners into Ireland’s Local Authorities, which was supported by my Department. The occupation of town planner has been added to the Critical Skills Occupation List which will allow eligible non-EEA professionals from outside of Europe to benefit from streamlined employment permit processes, making it easier for Irish employers to recruit and retain international talent in this vital sector.
My Department is currently working on a number of measures to increase staffing levels in the local government planning sector. In this regard, my Department is collaborating with the Local Government Management Agency on the delivery of a further programme of supports to planning authorities. These supports include the provision of staffing resources and expertise to enable planning authorities to perform their functions efficiently and effectively.
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/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, granular data, in terms of the number of planners employed in each local authority, is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available directly from each local authority.
The recruitment and filling of posts in the local authority sector is undertaken both by individual local authorities and the Public Appointments Service depending on the level and tenure of the post concerned.
546. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the number of local authorities that have fully drawn down their funding allocation under the tenant in situ scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37856/25]
View answerMy Department has made €325 million available to our local authorities for their overall social housing second-hand acquisitions activity in 2025.
To date, overall, local authorities have drawdown only 30% of the allocated funding available and no local authority has exhausted its individual allocated funding. The table below outlines the spend to date against the funding allocated under second-hand acquisitions programme for 2025.
My Department continues 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.
|
LA |
Allocation |
Spend to date |
|
Carlow |
€3,500,000 |
€753,627 |
|
Cavan |
€2,000,000 |
€641,527 |
|
Clare |
€4,000,000 |
€586,519 |
|
Cork City |
€20,000,000 |
€8,367,354 |
|
Cork County |
€15,000,000 |
€4,380,594 |
|
DLR |
€12,000,000 |
€1,315,060 |
|
Donegal |
€2,000,000 |
€763,985 |
|
Dublin City |
€95,000,000 |
€38,237,362 |
|
Fingal |
€20,000,000 |
€8,563,647 |
|
Galway City |
€8,000,000 |
€1,966,362 |
|
Galway County |
€6,000,000 |
€773,527 |
|
Kerry |
€3,500,000 |
€1,786,628 |
|
Kildare |
€15,000,000 |
€5,612,750 |
|
Kilkenny |
€3,500,000 |
€267,071 |
|
Laois |
€3,000,000 |
€296,853 |
|
Leitrim |
€2,000,000 |
€511,092 |
|
Limerick |
€15,000,000 |
€1,403,208 |
|
Longford |
€2,000,000 |
€1,127,992 |
|
Louth |
€12,000,000 |
€1,860,876 |
|
Mayo |
€3,500,000 |
€1,056,231 |
|
Meath |
€6,000,000 |
€1,853,469 |
|
Monaghan |
€2,000,000 |
€918,657 |
|
Offaly |
€2,000,000 |
€147,051 |
|
Roscommon |
€2,000,000 |
€499,435 |
|
Sligo |
€3,000,000 |
€1,912,266 |
|
South Dublin |
€25,000,000 |
€0 |
|
Tipperary |
€5,000,000 |
€2,532,082 |
|
Waterford |
€8,000,000 |
€4,070,301 |
|
Westmeath |
€5,000,000 |
€521,041 |
|
Wexford |
€6,000,000 |
€2,239,636 |
|
Wicklow |
€6,000,000 |
€3,401,293 |
|
Contingency |
€8,000,000 |
€0 |
