Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of homes delivered and tenanted through initiatives set out in Rebuilding Ireland to bring vacant stock back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14607/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Pillar 5 of the Government's Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing andHomelessnessis specifically focused on utilising Existing Housing Stock, with a key objective of ensuring that the existing vacant housing stock throughout the country and across all forms of tenure, in both the public and private sectors, is used to the optimum degree possible.

To this end, the Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for coordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group in September 2016 comprising of senior representatives from my Department, local authorities and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The Group is due to report in the coming weeks.

The Rebuilding Irelandcommitments are set out in line with best asset management practices, which will see all local authorities operating to a national re-letting performance standard and greater use of a preventative maintenance approach to social housing stock management. In 2016, over 2,300 vacant social housing units were returned to productive use. This figure does not include units returned to use by local authorities through funding from their own resources. Allocations for 2017 are due to be announced shortly and it is expected that in excess of 1,500 vacant social housing units will be brought back to use under the Voids Programme.

The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) has been developed under Pillar 5 of Rebuilding Ireland 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 is targeted at owners of vacant properties who cannot afford or access the funding needed to bring their properties up to the required standard for rental property. Subject to the suitability of the property for social housing, and the agreement of the property owner, the cost of the necessary repairs will be met upfront by the local authority or an Approved Housing Body (AHB). This allows for the property owner to sign-up to a lease arrangement for a length that is linked to the value of the repairs, subject to a minimum of 10 years. The value of the repairs will then be offset incrementally against the agreed rental payment over a defined period within the lease.

Following on from the success of the initial pilot in Waterford and Carlow local authorities, the Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) is being rolled out on a national basis from 23 February 2017. I am making an additional €26m available to fund the scheme in 2017, which brings the total amount available this year to €32m. This additional investment in 2017 means that delivery under the scheme can be accelerated and up to 800 vacant properties can be brought back into use as new homes for families on local authority waiting lists this year. This funding represents a frontloading of the €140m being made available for the scheme over the next 5 years. Over the period 2016 to 2021, it is anticipated that up to 3,500 units will be secured for social housing under this scheme.

Other initiatives include the Buy and Renew Scheme. The full details of this scheme are being finalised and will be communicated to local authorities shortly. I have made an initial €25 million available for this initiative this year and propose to increase this to as much as €50 million in 2018, depending on the uptake. I expect this investment to deliver between 400 and 500 renewed houses for social housing use.

This initiative may present opportunities for local authorities and approved housing bodies to tackle dereliction in towns and urban areas, but prospective housing units will always need to be suitable for social housing use, in an area of need and to represent reasonable value for money.

In addition, the Housing Agency is being provided with €70m in capital funding from the Exchequer, with the specific focus of engaging with banks and other entities to acquire properties for social housing nationally. Overall, some 1,600 units are targeted for acquisition under this initiative.