Mr. Tom Gilligan:

We have very ambitious plans for the repair and lease scheme in County Mayo. We believe it has huge potential. Mention was made of the 19 repair and lease scheme units that we have brought back into use. At this stage, we have a number of applications. We received 181 expressions of interest for 2022. A number of key things have happened in relation to this. The appointment of our vacant homes officer is important. We are actively promoting the scheme. The 50% increase from €40,000 to €60,000 is very welcome and got a number of interested parties on board. We have had 29 applications and we believe we will get 91 units on that. One of the things that we have been promoting regarding the repair and lease scheme is that it is €60,000 per unit and multiple units will receive multiples of that amount. It has significant potential. One aspect is the cost sometimes associated with bringing a vacant property back into use. We are seeing that in relation to the price of construction and inflation. It depends on what state the property is in and how quickly it can be brought back into use. If the property owner has funds, they can utilise the repair and lease scheme. We are seeing greater traction in relation to that. We see it as a scheme that will continue to grow.

Through our vacant homes officer in Mayo, we are presenting to each municipal district. In the next couple of weeks, we will be doing a series of roadshows. We will be out there promoting the schemes to people. We have done a lot, but there is a lot more work to do. We have the head down and we are certainly ambitious on delivery over the next number of years.

We want to deliver on our own targets relating to in excess of 20 units each year over the next number of years. That is something we are working on.