Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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137. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the progress to date in setting out a living cities initiative; what this entails and what is envisaged; if he plans to disincentivise the hoarding of land that could otherwise be used for housing; the funding available for the renovation of old houses not subject to preservation orders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11158/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Living City Initiative  is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance. However, I understand that the scheme will apply to all dwellings built before 1915  which are situated in certain designated areas of the 6 cities included under the scheme - Limerick, Waterford, Cork, Dublin, Galway and Kilkenny. The scheme is targeted at run-down areas of these cities with a view to encouraging greater owner/occupancy in inner-city areas. The specific areas in each city for inclusion under the scheme have not yet been decided. These areas will be designated following consultation with the concerned local authorities and other Government agencies.

The scheme will also be subject to EU State Aid approval, which is likely to take several months. A state-aid application will shortly be submitted to the European Commission in this regard. Consequently it is expected that it will be late 2014 or more likely early 2015 before the scheme will commence.

A mechanism is currently in place to disincentivise the hoarding and non-development of land for housing or for other purposes through the derelict sites levy provided for under section 23 of the Derelict Sites Act 1990. This levy, which only applies to sites in urban areas, allows local authorities to apply an annual levy of 3 per cent of the market value of the derelict, but potentially developable, site in question subject to the satisfaction of certain criteria. The levy has proven difficult to apply in practice as the non-development of the sites in question may be due to factors outside the control of the site owner.

However, the Government is currently considering a strategy for the construction sector and in that context my Department will be ensuring that appropriate measures are considered to empower local authorities to ensure land is brought forward for development in a timely and sustainable manner.

There is no specific grant scheme in operation to assist householders in the renovation of old houses, whether they are subject to a preservation order or not. The only grant scheme funded by my Department that might possibly be availed of in this regard is the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants to assist older people and people with a disability to have necessary repairs, adaptations or improvement works carried out in order to meet their accommodation needs.

The suite of grants includes three separate grant measures; the Mobility Aids Grant scheme with grants of up to €6,000, the Housing Aid for Older People scheme with grants of up to €10,500 and the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability with grants of up to €30,000, depending on house hold income. The schemes are administered by the local authorities and it is a matter for each local authority to determine the extent of the grant-eligible works, the amount of grant aid to be paid in individual cases and how applications are prioritised.