Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank both the witnesses for their presentations. On the target that IPAV has proposed would be set for local authorities to bring back into use 25,000 vacant homes, how did it come to that figure? In Mr. Davitt’s professional opinion, how achievable is that? Croí Cónaithe, a scheme that was referred to, has a very low target, of 2,000 properties to come back into use by 2025, and is not in any way ambitious, so that figure should be looked at. Will he speak to coming to that figure of 25,000?

In regard to IPAV's second recommendation for a full-time vacant properties officer for each local authority, vacant homes officers are in place in every local authority. Are they perhaps not doing the job they should be? Should their role be extended or is there a different role that IPAV foresees a vacant properties officer doing?

There is definitely an issue with access to finance, which is very important. The issue I have come across frequently, as someone who lives in a rural community, relates to where a young person who gets that funding under Croí Cónaithe is approved but does not have the money upfront, yet the grant is given afterwards. There may be local builders who are not in a position to take on that work ahead of time and to wait for the grant to come at the end. Access to finance is very important and credit unions are crying out to provide mortgages. Many of them have lots of money on their books and want to provide mortgages and so on. That is something we can follow up on and look to push. People trust the credit unions. They are in our communities and they can play a bigger role. We need to look at allowing them to play that bigger role in our rural communities. A lot of us are in a fortunate position in that in many rural towns and villages, we do not need to build homes given the homes are there, but we need to get them restored, and that will have a win-win in bringing life back to that rural community.