Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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140. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if the audit of vacant houses and apartments that was committed to in Rebuilding Ireland has been completed by his Department; the actions being considered in order to ensure that as many as possible can be occupied in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2527/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Pillar 5 of the Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Irelandis specifically focussed on utilising existing housing stock with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant homes throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, are used to the optimum degree possible. In this regard, Action 5.1 of Rebuilding Irelandcommits to developing a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy by the first quarter of 2017, informed by Census 2016 data, to:

- inform the compilation of 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 vacant units back into reuse.

To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, has established a working group, comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The Working Group has met five times to date.

As indicated, it is intended to facilitate the development of a national database of vacant houses under the auspices of the National Vacant Housing Re-use Strategy. The database will aim to include

- the number of vacant homes in each local authority area,

- the addresses of the vacant homes,

- the length of vacancy in each case, and

- the reason(s) for vacancy.

Work is progressing on identifying possible sources of data and information to assist in the most efficient means of compiling such a database.

While the development of the Strategy is being progressed, I have already announced a number of new initiatives under Pillar 5 of Rebuilding Irelandaimed at addressing vacancy and facilitating the reuse of vacant houses. A new Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) has been developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to harness the accommodation potential that exists in certain vacant properties across Ireland. The scheme was launched in Waterford and Carlow in early October 2016, on a pilot basis, and it is my intention that the scheme will be available nationally by April 2017. I have secured €140m for the successful implementation of this scheme over the next five years. It has significant potential and I am hopeful that it can bring at least 3,500 vacant houses back into productive use between now and 2021.

In addition, under a new Buy and Renew initiative, my Department will support local authorities and AHBs in purchasing private housing units in need of remediation, having them refurbished and making them available for social housing use.  An initial capital provision of €25 million is being made available for this initiative in 2017.