Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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100. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of the derelict housing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39173/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Pillar Five of the Government’sRebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessnessis focussed on the utilisation of existing housing stock and the recognition that a highly effective way to meet housing needs is to achieve optimum occupancy of that existing housing stock, whether social or private housing.

One of the most important actions being taken in this context is the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy, informed by Census 2016 data, to compile a register of vacant units across the country, identify the number, location and reasons for longer-term vacancies (i.e. over 6 months) in high demand areas, and set out a range of actions to bring these vacant units back into use. This is scheduled for delivery in Q1 2017 with all key stakeholders highly engaged and will underpin many of the ongoing and future actions taken to address vacant homes across the country.

My Department supports a number of schemes that help to address the issues of vacant and derelict housing while also provide new social housing for those on waiting lists around the country. Earlier this year I introduced a programme to provide additional support to local authorities in remediating more seriously derelict social houses which require a greater level of remediation than is possible either through the current programme for the return of vacant social houses, or through the normal pre-letting works carried out by the local authorities. I expect this programme to deliver around 280 remediated social houses in 2016 and further work will continue into 2017.

In October this year, I announced two specific new schemes - the Repair and Leasing Scheme and the Buy and Repair Scheme - which are intended to assist private property owners, local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to harness the accommodation potential that exists in certain vacant properties across Ireland.

The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) is currently being piloted in Waterford and Carlow, and it is my intention that the scheme will be rolled out nationally in Q2 2017.

The basic principle behind the scheme is to assist a property owner to bring a suitable vacant property in need of repairs up to the standard required for social housing leasing by providing a mechanism of upfront funding for the repairs in exchange in return for the property being made available for social housing through a lease for a period of at least 10 years. The cost of the repairs will be offset against the rental income over the duration of the lease. Given the complexity of operating a new scheme such as this, it was agreed that a pilot phase would be appropriate to work through processes at an operational level before expanding nationally. Over the period 2016 to 2021, it is anticipated that up to 3,500 units will be secured for social housing under this scheme and I will be making up to €140m available.

In parallel to the Repair and Leasing Scheme I also announced a new ‘Buy and Renew’ funding scheme to support local authorities and AHBs to purchase and renew housing units in need of remediation, and make them available for social housing use. This scheme will commence in 2017 when I will be making €25 million available and I am proposing to increase this to as much as €50 million in 2018, which should result in at least 400 - 500 renewed houses – or a greater number if costs per unit prove reasonable.