Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 October 2017
729. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the membership of the working group established by the Housing Agency; the position of each; the number of times the group has met; the input the group has had into the national vacant housing reuse strategy; the nature of the input; if he will provide a copy of its submission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42845/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra730. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the status of the national vacant housing reuse strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42846/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 729 and 730 together.
Action 5.1 of the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland, which was published in July 2016, commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy informed by Census 2016 data, to:
- inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country;
- identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e., over six months) in high demand areas; and
- set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into reuse.
The Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group in September 2016 comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The working group met six times between November 2016 and March 2017.
My Department received the output of the working group in June 2017 and is presently engaging with key Departments and Agencies with a view to finalising the strategy and publishing it in the near future.
