Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1340. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he expects to publish a new national vacant housing reuse strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46600/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Action 5.1 of the Government's Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness - Rebuilding Ireland, which was published in July 2016, commits to the development of a National Vacant Housing Re-Use Strategy 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.

The Housing Agency, which has lead responsibility for co-ordinating the development of the Strategy, established a working group in September 2016 comprising senior representatives from my Department, local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and from the Housing Agency itself to inform the Strategy. The working group met 6 times between November 2016 and March 2017.

My Department received the output of the working group in June 2017 and is presently engaging with key Departments and Agencies with a view to finalising the strategy and publishing it in the near future.