John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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45. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason for the low number of properties being offered across the four Dublin local authority areas for the repair and leasing scheme; his plans for changes to the repair and leasing scheme to increase the supply of offers in the greater Dublin area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52193/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was initially piloted in Carlow and Waterford and the pilot has been rolled out nationally since 23 February last. The scheme is one of a suite of measures available to local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use. Since the national roll out my Department has been working intensively with local authorities and AHBs to develop and implement the scheme. There have been a number of national and local press advertising initiatives, as well as targeted online promotion, in an effort to ensure that property owners who can benefit from the scheme are aware of the benefits.

Based on progress of the scheme reported at end September 2017, applications in respect of a total of 792 houses have been received by local authorities nationwide. A total of 30 applications have been received across the four Dublin local authorities with 23 of these properties being deemed suitable for social housing, and 7 unsuitable, following an initial evaluation. An Agreement to Lease has been signed in respect of 1 property;  the process of finalising additional contracts is underway and I expect further agreements will be signed shortly. Details on the number of applications under RLS in all local authority areas are available on my Department’s website at the following link:

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The nature of RLS means that the period leading up to the signing of contracts – sourcing and inspecting the houses, and negotiation with the owner - is the slowest part of the process. All local authorities are active in sourcing and identifying potential properties and it is expected that significant numbers of contracts will be entered into once that process is complete. Once contracts are signed, delivery is estimated at between 2 and 6 months, a fraction of the time involved for any other capital acquisition or build project.

Feedback from local authorities indicates that in many cases properties requiring extensive repair work, and therefore not suitable for the RLS, have been secured under the Buy and Renew Scheme which facilitates local authorities or approved housing bodies to purchase vacant properties for social housing use. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that the levels of vacancy recorded as part of Census 2016 have significantly reduced in the interim, particularly in urban areas like Dublin where many habitable homes and buildings have since been occupied.

As part of my on-going review of Rebuilding Ireland, I am examining all opportunities to accelerate and improve social housing delivery, as well as initiatives to bring more vacant houses back in the use at a faster pace.  The operation of the RLS pilot nationally has facilitated an appraisal of the scheme as part of this review, with a view to enhancing the operation of the scheme and ensuring increased take up and delivery. This review is on-going and revised initiatives will continue to be announced as they are finalised.