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

Chartered Surveyors Ireland has submitted a report to the Government with recommendations concerning CPO law in Ireland. It is complicated legislation and change is needed. If we consider local authorities, would a practical step be to incentivise them to acquire vacant homes by covering conveyancing costs, for argument's sake? I think we can do much better than we have been doing in this area. Many of the 205 properties, of the 7,000 vacant properties to which the Minister referred, down to 205, are vacant because elderly people may have problems with the fair deal scheme and how that is assessed. That is prevalent and changes need to be made on the health side of things regarding how assessments are made. Many properties are vacant because people may not be able to get out of nursing home care. The method of assessment by the HSE means that those homes cannot be rented out. Specifically regarding derelict and vacant homes, I would like to know about the recent interactions the Minister has had with local authorities. I believe some local authorities just do not want to go down this road. Has a recent circular been issued to local authorities? Would the Minister consider incentivising local authorities by covering the conveyancing costs for homes that they bring back into the housing stock?

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