Government grants Donegal the joint-lowest funding for social housing acquisitions

Donegal County Council was allocated the joint-lowest funding in the country for social housing second-hand acquisitions in 2025 by the Department for Housing.

The Minister for Housing, James Browne TD, responded to questions at Dáil Éireann by Donegal TD, Pearse Doherty, and Cork South Central TD, Séamus McGrath on the topic of assisting local authorities with social housing acquisitions.

Donegal County Council was allocated €2 million out of a total €325 million budget by the Department for Housing. In comparison, Dublin City Council was allocated a whopping €95 million.

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Deputy Doherty criticised the “small amount of funding provided to Donegal,” given the “significant need in the county.”

Other local authorities to receive €2 million, like Donegal County Council, include Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, and Roscommon. The funding of each local authority for social housing, second-hand acquisitions in 2025, was revealed after Deputy McGrath asked Minister Browne for a breakdown of the funding allocated to each local authority.

Deputy Doherty asked Minister Browne if he would consider how funding was being provided for social housing acquisitions. In response, Minister Browne insisted that all local authorities, including Donegal County Council, were “adequately funded.”

Minister Browne commented that the increase of the supply of affordable homes were “key to addressing the housing challenge and in particular preventing and ultimately eliminating long-term homelessness, and that unquestionably must be the priority for all local authorities, including Donegal County Council.

“In calculating the capital funding allocation, my Department has taken metrics such as spend and delivery in previous years and the Summary of Social Housing Assessments into account to ensure each local authority is adequately funded.”