Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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19. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider incentives to reduce the number of vacant housing units in Dublin such as a tax placed on any property left vacant-derelict for more than one year in the region of €10,000 or more; his proposals to initiate a social housing building programme to ease the housing crisis and provide employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19454/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The financial parameters within which we continue to operate will not facilitate an early return to large-scale capital funded local authority housing construction programmes. Earlier this year, I signalled a return to modest levels of new social housing construction with an announcement of 1,000 new housing starts over the 2014-2015 period. I see this as the commencement of a new rolling programme of social housing construction and I hope to be in a position to expand the programme with a new tranche of housing starts next year.

In 2014, funding for my Department’s housing programme, at over €587 million, is effectively maintained at 2013 levels. This includes a €50 million capital stimulus to support construction-related programmes in 2014, primarily in the housing area, including €15 million to kick-start the local authority house building programme and €15 million for a new initiative to return vacant and boarded-up houses to productive use.

In March, I announced the approval of some 56 social housing construction projects with an overall value of some €68 million under the local authority housing construction programme for 2014-2015. This new construction programme will deliver 449 new units of accommodation for people on the housing waiting list. With the objective of targeting investment at areas where housing need is most acute, I allocated some 67% of the available funding to housing projects being advanced in the twelve local authorities areas where social housing need is greatest and which, between them, account for some 70% of overall national need.

I am concerned at the high levels of vacant social housing units across all local authority areas, with almost 4,000 properties or just over 3% of the entire stock being vacant at present. Refurbishing vacant properties is a quick and cost-effective means of meeting social housing need and I am determined that no suitable homes should remain vacant when there are families in need of housing. On 17 April I announced details of €15 million in funding which is to be invested in bringing vacant and boarded-up local authority houses back into productive use which will provide 952 homes for families across the country. Funding of up to €30,000 per dwelling will be provided for a suite of retrofitting works to refurbish vacant properties to a high standard. Funding was allocated on the basis of equitable and evidence based criteria which reflect the merit and cost effectiveness of proposals and the degree of local housing need.

Census figures from 2011 showed that over 230,000 houses and apartments, excluding holiday homes, were vacant at that time. While many of these may not be available or suitable for use as social housing units, my Department, the Housing Agency and NAMA continue to work together with housing authorities and the Approved Housing Bodies towards bringing suitable units into social housing use through the Rental Accommodation Scheme and the social housing leasing initiative.