1100. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason the Second Hand Social Housing Acquisition Programme monies allocated to local authorities has to be spent in the calendar year; the reason committing the money is not enough given the often protracted nature of conveyancing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42928/26]

Some €373 million has been made available for drawdown by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies under the 2026 Social Housing Second Hand Acquisitions Programme. Funding is available across three priorities:

• Exits from Homelessness Acquisitions - €150 million

• AHB Priority Delivery Acquisitions, supporting older persons, persons with disabilities, care leavers - €50 million

• LA Priority Acquisitions including tenancy sustainment or tenant-in-situ acquisitions - €157 million.

A contingency fund of €16 million has also been retained and will be available for local authorities that have drawn down most of their initial allocation but still have capacity to complete further acquisitions and drawdown funding from the Department this year.

The Programme was placed on a multi-annual footing in 2025 and this approach continues in 2026. It provides scope to local authorities to commit up to the value of 30% of their base 2026 allocations (some €85 million or so) for acquisitions that will complete or drawdown funding in 2027.

This flexibility facilitates local authorities to plan and progress acquisitions between annual programmes, and from one year to the next, with a higher level of certainty vis-à-vis future funding availability and ensuring eligible acquisitions commenced in the later months in the relevant year can continue to progress with certainty that funding will be available to meet eligible costs arising in the next year.

I am satisfied the level of funding available to the Programme is more than adequate to support any and all acquisitions that can be completed by local authorities and approved Housing Bodies in the coming years. Ultimately, the delivery of new additional social homes is the only strategic solution to address long-term homelessness, with allocations from new and existing local authority and AHB social homes the primary means through which social housing qualified households should be accommodated. Accordingly, demand for acquisitions, supported at elevated levels by the Exchequer since 2023, should continue to taper off as a greater number of new homes comes on stream. Notably, a record number of new build social homes was delivered in 2025, and this is expected to increase further in 2026.