Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 July 2022
353. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of local authorities that have a full-time vacant homes officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38892/22]
View answerIn January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that it is increasing the funding made available since 2018 from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum from mid-2022 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office, including a vacant homes officer (VHO) to support the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that vacant homes officers are full-time. The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of local authorities, including through the important role of vacant homes officers, to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction with a view to increasing the opportunities for residential development.
Local authorities were requested to arrange for the vacant homes officer position to become full-time by the end of Q2 2022 and to notify my Department accordingly. My Department understands that a total of 17 local authorities have confirmed that at least 1 fulltime VHO is now in place and the Department is continuing the ongoing engagement with the remaining local authorities on the process underway to put in place fulltime VHOs.
