Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
158. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of social housing acquisitions in 2024 and 2025, by acquisition type, including tenant-in-situ, vacant homeless acquisition, housing first, older persons, and so on. [4944/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraGovernment's primary focus is to address affordability in the housing market, particularly through the delivery of new build social and affordable homes.
Notwithstanding, and recognising the growing pressure on households in private rented accommodation, my Department's social housing Second Hand Acquisitions Programme remains a important emergency accommodation solution for households in the most precarious housing situations. In this context, I allocated €325m early last year to support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies acquire second hand properties in 2025. I secured a further €50 million in mid-2025 specifically to support households out of long-term emergency homeless accommodation into permanent housing.
Comprehensive programme-level statistics for social housing delivery are published on my Department's website, including for social housing acquisitions. Data are currently available to end Q3 2025. Q4 2025 delivery statistics are currently being compiled and validated and will published in due course. For reference the Q4 2024 delivery statistics were published in April 2025.
The data show that 1,830 and 1,501 acquisitions were completed in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Some 1,000 or more of these homes were acquired in each year to help sustain tenancies for social housing tenants in the private rented sector.
An analysis of acquisitions across all categories between 2023 and 2025 is currently underway and should be completed when the Q4 2025 social housing delivery data are published.
Allocations under the 2026 Second Hand Acquisitions Programme will be notified to local authorities in February. Funding will continue to support tenancy sustainment acquisitions, though there will be a greater focus on supporting households to exit homelessness, with €100 million of the total allocation ring-fenced for this purpose.
