John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 15, 21, 83, 105 and 112 together.

As I said in my previous reply, this Government is committed to tackling the issue of vacancy and dereliction. The vacant homes action plan published in January 2023 sets out a range of measures and actions being pursued to return vacant and derelict properties to use as homes. In March, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I published the 2025 progress report, which shows the significant progress that is being made. It is available on my Department's website.

One of the key measures in the action plan is supporting the refurbishment of older, vacant and derelict properties using the vacant property refurbishment grant. This is a grant that can provide up to €50,000 towards the refurbishment of vacant properties for use as homes and up to €70,000 where that property is derelict. To the end of June, more than 13,700 grant applications have been received across the country. Almost 10,000 have been approved and more than 2,800 grants have been paid, amounting to over €155 million. My Department publishes data on the grant on its website on a quarterly basis, providing a breakdown by local authority area. I will arrange to have the link to this published data circulated.

A comprehensive review of the vacant property refurbishment grant was undertaken in 2024. That review considered all aspects of the scheme. The findings of this review have been considered in the context of the development of the new housing plan, which will be published shortly. The grant has been and continues to be successful in bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use and in making the refurbishment of these properties an affordable option for buyers across the country. It acts as a significant support for younger persons who are starting out on the property ladder.

A wide range of other schemes are in place that also support the refurbishment and conversion of older buildings for housing. The repair and lease scheme provides an interest-free loan of up to €80,000 per home delivered to support the refurbishment and conversion of vacant buildings for use as social housing. This is a scheme that is increasingly used to renovate vacant commercial premises, including above the shop. There has been a huge positive impact from this scheme in my constituency of Waterford. About 55% of the national total of repair and lease units in the country have been delivered in Waterford, with one- and two-bedroom properties in town and city areas providing much-needed homes for families. I want to see more local authorities availing of that scheme.

Planning exemptions are available for the conversion of certain vacant commercial properties into residential use, which are proving successful. In 2024 alone, more than 290 exemption notifications for more than 700 homes were provided, the highest yearly total since their introduction. This was extended to include former vacant pubs a couple of years ago. It is the intention to extend those exemptions further through the exempted development.

As Deputy O'Connell, in budget 2026, the living city initiative, which is a tax relief, can be claimed and extended to other counties, as well as improving the level of support that is being provided through the scheme. We also made provision for a derelict property tax in the budget. As stated earlier, we have such a broad range of schemes providing the carrot to bring those vacant and derelict properties back into productive use for housing purposes, and if people are not going to use those carrots, the stick of the derelict property tax is coming. I encourage people to work with local authorities to use those schemes and bring those properties back into productive use, because what frustrates people most is seeing vacant and derelict properties across this country during a time of such need.

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