Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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499. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when local authorities will be accepting applications for the repair and leasing scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20542/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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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. Following on from the success of the initial RLS pilot in Waterford and Carlow local authorities, the pilot was expanded on a national basis from 23 February 2017 and is now available in all local authorities.

My Department has provided local authorities with detailed guidance documents, template legal agreements, application forms and other resources to assist them to implement the scheme together with AHBs, locally. In addition, two workshops for local authority and AHB staff have already been convened which were well attended.

In recognition of both the critical demand for additional units and the potential the RLS scheme has to offer, I assigned additional funding to the scheme in 2017, bringing the total amount of investment available this year to €32m. This will facilitate up to 800 vacant properties being brought back into use as new homes for families on local authority waiting lists. I have urged local authorities to see the opportunity that this scheme offers, and I am keen that properties and property owners interested in the scheme are identified and progress made immediately.

Property owners who wish to avail of the RLS are asked to contact their local authority for further information on the scheme in their area.