Professor Michelle Norris:

I want to make one related point. Generally, the grants are only available for houses or dwellings that have been occupied previously. It is the same with the SEAI upgrading grants. The house has to have been occupied or partially occupied as a dwelling, like a pub, for instance. There are a lot of derelict properties in rural Ireland, including former schools and former Garda stations, that were never occupied as a house but would be suitable for conversion. These are currently outside the scope of the supports.