Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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333. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will act on the commitment in the programme for Government to reform the fair deal scheme to incentivise renting out vacant properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10310/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future contains a commitment to reform the Fair Deal Scheme to incentivise renting out vacant properties.

This commitment builds upon commitments included in the former Government's Strategy for the Rental Sector and National Vacant Housing Reuse Strategy, to examine the treatment under the Nursing Home Support Scheme’s (or Fair Deal Scheme's) financial assessment of income from a person’s principal private residence (PPR), where they move into long-term residential care.

These commitments reflect an intent to explore the potential to encourage vacant accommodation to be brought into active use.

My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Health in relation to these actions. Both Departments are exploring proposals to enable vacant properties owned by patients in long-term nursing home care to be brought back into early use, through adjustments to the treatment of rental income and house sale proceeds derived from a PPR in the financial assessment of income for the purposes of the Fair Deal Scheme.

Legislative amendments to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009, which comes within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health, would be required to address this matter. Discussions are ongoing between our two Departments in this regard in the context of progressing any appropriate amendments through the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill, being developed by the Department of Health. I have engaged directly with Minister Donnelly on this issue and arrangements for further discussions at Ministerial level will be made, if necessary, to ensure that satisfactory progress is achieved.

It will remain a personal choice for any individual as to whether or not they wish to sell or rent out their home, in the private or social rental sector, upon taking up residence in a nursing home.