Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 July 2021
235. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his specific plans and timescale for bringing underused and vacant housing stock into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39059/21]
View answerMy Department is committed to ensuring that existing housing stock is utilised to its fullest extent including providing a targeted, effective and co-ordinated approach to identifying and tackling vacancy across Ireland. There are a range of measures to assist in meeting housing needs by ensuring that our existing housing stock is used to the greatest extent possible. My Department published the National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, in 2018, which contains a range of objectives and key actions to be pursued in partnership with stakeholders and agencies across the housing sector to address vacancy in our housing stock. The Strategy is underpinned by a number of supports and guidance put in place by my Department to assist in bringing vacant housing stock back into use including:
- The Repair and Leasing Scheme which assists private property owners, local authority and Approved Housing Bodies to utilise existing vacant housing stock throughout the country as social housing. The scheme is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring their properties up to the required standard for a rental property. The maximum loan for property repair available under the Repair and Lease Scheme is €60,000.
- The Buy and Renew Scheme particularly focuses on older vacant homes to help tackle the problem of dereliction and improve the appearance of the community. It provides the option for suitable properties to be purchased by local authorities, rather than leased, if that is the preference of the owners.
- In December 2018 my Department published the Bringing Back Homes Manual for the Reuse of Existing Buildings. Revitalising our main streets through well designed refurbishment of residential units, particularly above shops, could help to rejuvenate smaller town centres and city streets as well as produce more houses.
To further support this work at local authority level, my Department has secured funding for each local authority to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office. The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of my Department’s Vacant Homes Unit to liaise with and seek information/statistics from a dedicated contact point within each local authority. The Vacant Homes Office plays a key role in the co-ordination of this work within each local authority.
The Government set out its housing priorities in the Programme for Government across numerous areas, including homelessness, affordable home ownership, private and social housing delivery, rent reform and planning and my Department is focused on moving those priorities forward.
To deliver on these commitments, my colleague Minister O'Brien will publish a new housing policy and action plan 'Housing for All' this month which will provide a whole of Government approach to housing policy and is at an advanced stage of development at present.
