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

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick for his question. The Government is absolutely committed to tackling the scourge that is vacancy and bringing empty properties back into use. The planning regulations were changed just a couple of weeks ago to broaden further the exemption on commercial properties being converted to residential use. The Minister of State, Deputy Burke, and I will bring forward, in the context of Town Centre First and the Croí Cónaithe towns and villages fund. That will provide people with a grant to bring empty homes back into use as long as they live in and own them. Furthermore, we are bringing forward a co-ordinated compulsory purchase order scheme managed by the Housing Agency on behalf of local authorities such as Louth County Council, which had previously been quite successful in that area - other local authorities, not so much. We will co-ordinate compulsory purchase orders in respect of more than 2,500 properties. There is a particular issue in Drogheda on which we are working with the local authority, but we will bring forward our Croí Cónaithe cities fund to have brownfield site development in our cities.

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