Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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585. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the details of the grant scheme announced previously to help first-time buyers refurbish derelict buildings in rural areas and towns; if this scheme will be implemented nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23325/18]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A pilot scheme to encourage residential occupancy in rural towns and villages is currently being developed as part of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme which is administered by my Department. The pilot will consider ways in which properties that are currently not in use in town centres can be renovated to allow them to be used for residential purposes.  This will help to rejuvenate town centres while also contributing to the housing needs of individuals. 

I have established a Steering Group to oversee the design and delivery of the pilot scheme, including consideration of the target beneficiaries.  The Steering Group is chaired by my Department, and involves a number of other key Departments and agencies, including the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Finance, and the County and City Management Association which provides representation from the Local Authority sector.  

This is a complex issue, but work in relation to developing the pilot scheme is ongoing and I expect that substantial progress will be made in developing the pilot over the coming months. It is envisaged that the pilot scheme will be implemented in a small number of towns initially with a view, subject to the scheme's success, to a wider roll-out over time. This pilot has the capacity to inform future initiatives for town centre renewal under the new €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund which was announced by the Government recently as part of Project Ireland 2040.