Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Pillar 5 of the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is specifically focused on ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure in both the public and private sectors is used to the optimum degree possible. I know the Deputy agrees with this. In this regard, action 5.1 commits to the development of a national vacant housing reuse strategy that will be informed by census 2016 data to inform the compilation of a register of vacant units across the country; identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies which are more than six months in high demand areas; and set out a range of actions to bring vacant units back into use. As I referenced at a meeting in Wicklow last week, we have had vacant properties for 15 or 20 years in the country as recorded in the past three or four censuses. There is a long-term reason behind some of them. We are trying to get an understanding of that as well.

The Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the strategy, established a working group in September 2016 comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and the Housing Agency itself to inform the strategy. The working group has met more than six times to date and is at present concluding its deliberations on recommendations to be incorporated in the strategy, with a view to facilitating and incentivising the greater reutilisation of vacant properties.

To assist in the finalisation of the strategy broad consultations were undertaken with a range of key stakeholders involved in the housing and homelessness areas as well as local authorities.  This scale of engagement and the level of detail involved, including through several bilateral meetings with stakeholder groups, took time to organise but was considered crucial to informing the strategy.  This is one of the reasons for the delay. It is also considered prudent to await the final census 2016 report on housing, which is due to be published on 20 April, to ensure the most up-to-date data on housing is incorporated in the strategy. Against that background, it is intended that the strategy will be finalised and published next month.

More than 7,000 public housing voids have been returned to use in recent years at considerable cost. It is important to note that voids have almost become a thing of the past. Every local authority has stepped up to the plate to bring voids back into use. Deputy Casey will be aware that the Department announced two schemes ahead of the announcement of the full strategy. These are the repair and leasing initiative and the buy and renew scheme. The Deputy attended a meeting last week in Wicklow at which I stressed that these schemes provide local authorities an immense opportunity to step up and get vacant properties back into use. Further schemes will be announced but the two to which I have referred are ideal for addressing the issue the Deputy raises.

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