John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important that we are placing a focus on this issue. It is an issue that I have been working on in my own area of Waterford for the last number of years. We have been successful in Waterford in tackling the issue of vacancy and dereliction. Ms Vallone mentioned in her contribution the benefits of a public-private collaborative approach to this issue. That is what has worked well in Waterford. The private sector has stepped up to the plate to purchase and renovate units, using schemes such as the repair and lease scheme. The council has used the stick of the compulsory purchase order process, has carried out CPOs, and has heavily focused on the issue of buy and renew. It is a collaborative approach. Anyone who suggests that either the private or the public sector can do it on their own is misleading the public. It is only by having that collaborative approach that we will achieve progress on this.

The repair and lease scheme has been instrumental in Waterford. I have mentioned it several times previously. It is a shame that 22 local authorities have delivered less than five units over the past four years under the repair and lease scheme. Eight local authorities have not delivered a single unit. My county has delivered nearly 50% of all repair and lease units. It has had a tangible impact, with benefits for the streetscape, and it has provided much-needed one- and two-bed accommodation for individuals and families. I have a question for Ms Graham . When will the Department set specific targets for local authorities for the repair and lease scheme? I know there are global figures and targets for leases that were in place, which we are phasing out. The scheme has been proven to be successful. The Department needs to provide ambitious targets for local authorities, otherwise we will not see the progress that we need.

I welcome the focus on the 2,500 CPOs. Let us provide targets for individual local authorities for delivery under CPOs. I appreciate that it can be a complex process and that the Department will underwrite a financial risk for local authorities, which is welcome.

I have a couple of specific questions other than the one that I mentioned. Is it intended that local authorities will be given a specific number of serviced sites under Croí Conaithe? For example, Waterford might have 100 serviced sites as a target, and it is up to the local authority to decide where it is most beneficial to have those serviced sites in villages or towns. How will that be worked out? Will it be done on a bid basis?

Mr. Reid spoke to the issue of living over the shop. There is merit in having a repair and lease type scheme that will deliver units at below market rent, in other words, a cost rental type scheme to deliver units to the market that will compete with the private rental sector at, at least, 20% below market rents. The 20% below market rent provision is already built into the repair and lease scheme. Waterford has been successful in the delivery of social housing units in the city centre. We need to be conscious of the need for mixed tenure development as well. I would ask that consideration be given to such a pilot scheme in Waterford.