David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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144. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 87 of 7 October 2020, the 88 projects that have been approved for urban regeneration and development fund funding; the amount allocated to each; the financial assistance provided to and drawn down by respective local authority under the National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy 2018-2021; the local authorities that have to date established a vacant homes office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30603/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under Call 1 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), 88 projects were approved for URDF support in November 2018, one of which was subsequently withdrawn by the applicant.

The Table below lists the 87 projects advanced under Call 1 together with up-to-date provisional URDF funding allocations.

Since 2018, my Department has provided funding of €50,000 per annum to each local authority to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office. The funding is provided from July to June each year and 21 local authorities have drawn down the funding for the period July 2020 to June 2021.

The provision of central funding allows for focus to be given to the role of the Vacant Homes Office and reinforces the capacity of my Department’s Vacant Homes Unit to liaise with and seek information/statistics from a dedicated contact point within each local authority.

Each of the 31 local authorities has established a Vacant Homes Office and appointed a Vacant Homes Officer. The establishment of a Vacant Homes Office plays a key role in the co-ordination of tasks that support, implement and further develop, update, monitor and review the progress of local authorities’ Vacant Homes Action Plans and actions to address vacant private housing.