Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from what Senator Cummins said regarding the reasons we are bringing in the vacant homes tax, it is intended to incentivise the use of properties that have been put out of use, especially when we are doing everything as a Government to provide as much housing as possible.My county of Galway is one of the counties with the highest number of applications for the Croí Cónaithe scheme. With regard to the Minister of State's role in the Department of Finance, particularly with regard to credit unions, we need to look at how we expand their role to try to support people to think about applying for the Croí Cónaithe scheme. Some of the challenges with it have been with regard to whether staged payments could be considered for the scheme. It is only after the works are done and an inspector comes out to look at them that payment can issue to those who applied for the Croí Cónaithe scheme. The scheme has been in action but it is a new incentive, as is the vacant homes tax, to encourage people to see how to use properties that have been left vacant and derelict in Ireland, particularly in rural towns and villages throughout the country. We need to make sure that we maximise all of the properties available to Irish citizens, the State and businesses. Many of the properties can be used in many different ways.

In her response, I ask the Minister of State to speak about the supports in place for people accessing the Croí Cónaithe scheme and the importance of the vacant homes tax to make people see the options and opportunities out there to develop properties, and for these properties to become places of residence and places for people to live and call home. It is also for people who want to take on a second property to rent out. We are in dire need. In my home town of Ballinasloe people are crying out for properties to rent. We are to have 79 social housing homes in Ballinasloe and families will move into them before Christmas. They will be able to have a home. This will mean that rental properties will be opened up because people will be taken off the housing assistance payment and out of rental accommodation and given a home. It will mean that more rental properties will open up in the town. These are needed for people who are working there and for young families.

This is a challenge and I appreciate work being done by the Minister of State with regard to how credit unions can support people in accessing these opportunities. I am thinking about the fact that purchasing a home and having a mortgage may be more beneficial than paying rent on a long-term basis. It all comes back to financial literacy for young people and people of all ages so they can see there are benefits to looking at Croí Cónaithe and SEAI schemes with regard to bringing older properties back into use.