Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Vice Chairman has asked good questions. The Croí Cónaithe scheme could be an important vehicle for us to bring a lot of derelict and vacant properties back into use. The scheme is already taking hold. Croí Cónaithe was launched on 8 August and in the past two weeks we have expanded the scheme to rural homes and cities. Vacancies are a scourge and we need to tackle the issue. I would like to see the scheme fully subscribed. I give a commitment to the committee that when, and if, Croí Cónaithe is fully subscribed we will allocate further funds and continue to work through things. We have tried to keep the grant very simple and focused on homebuyers. The scheme has already yielded results. I believe the scheme will work very successfully across the country be that in a city or town. I assure the committee that if the scheme is fully subscribed we will increase the funding available in the Estimates for next year.