Acquiring homes from vulture funds
Deputy Declan Breathnach sought action to ensure properties held by vulture funds could be offered to local authorities. The Minister for Housing said the Housing Agency already had a role and fund for acquiring homes for social housing and that almost 1,000 homes were already in the pipeline.
On a point of order, on the housing issue, I asked that the vulture funds be instructed to offer properties to the local authorities. I have not received an answer from either the Taoiseach or the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.
Comment on this
I did not respond to the Deputy because his question was linked with another Deputy's question.
The Housing Agency has a role and a fund to engage with institutional lenders and those who have homes on their books to acquire them for social housing. That is happening currently. There are almost 1,000 homes currently as part of the mandate to get 1,600 homes into the stock of social housing through the acquisition fund the Housing Agency has. It then works with the local authority to get that house for that local authority which can then be tenanted either through the local authority or through a housing body.