Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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225. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the cost to date to his Department of the provision of funding to each local authority for the post of vacant homes officers in tabular form; if each such local authority has appointed a vacant homes officer; the date of each appointment; if such appointments are full-time dedicated posts with no other responsibilities attached; if not, the other responsibilities; if he has requested an annual report for each such local authority in relation to the work of each vacant homes officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35613/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department has provided funding of €50,000 per annum to each of the 31 local authorities since July 2018. The funding is provided to support the work of the Vacant Homes Office in each local authority each year. All 31 local authorities have claimed the funding up to June 2021. My Department will issue a circular in the coming days to invite local authorities to claim the funding up to June 2022. The total amount paid to all 31 local authorities to fund Vacant Homes Offices to date is €4.65m.

Each of the 31 local authorities has appointed a Vacant Homes Officer since 2018, however, there have been many staff changes in the Local authorities in the past 3 years resulting in various different staff members filling the role within the local authorities.

In the table below the date of appointment of the current Vacant Homes Officer is provided and whether the officer is appointed in a full time capacity, dedicated only to the duties of the Vacant Homes Officer, or if they are assigned other responsibilities within the local authority.

Prior to Covid 19 restrictions being introduced, the Vacant Homes Officers submitted quarterly returns to the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department on the number of properties inspected and number of properties brought back into use through the various schemes in their administrative areas. Following the lifting of the restrictions local authorities will recommence this reporting exercise in Q3 of 2021.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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226. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the level of funding under the six main headings provided to Carlow County Council and by comparison to three other councils similar in size and profile to Carlow over the past ten years; if Carlow County Council has been underfunded by his Department in this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35615/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The funding system for local authorities is complex, with authorities deriving their income from a variety of sources including commercial rates, charges for goods and services and funding from Central Government. It is a matter for each local authority to consider how it can maximise local income sources and manage its own spending, in the context of the annual budgetary process. Most of the funding from Central Government must be used for specified services. These can be grouped into 5 broad programme categories: recreational, education, environment, housing and transport. In relation to funding streams specifically from my Department, €41.9m and €44.5m was provided to Carlow County Council in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

I refer to the unprecedented support for local authorities during the COVID pandemic. In 2020, Carlow County Council applied a 100% commercial rates waiver to almost 2,000 ratepayers and recouped €7.62m in that regard from my Department. In addition, in recognition of COVID related income losses, and additional COVID related expenditure incurred in 2020, my Department provided funding of €1.33 m to Carlow County Council. The Government has introduced a commercial rates waiver for 2021, which has been extended to end of September, at an estimated cost €480 m. As has been the case since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, my Department will continue to engage with the local government sector and with individual local authorities on the financial impacts of the pandemic and provide them with the necessary financial supports.

Local authorities vary significantly from one another in terms of size, population, population distribution, public service demands, infrastructure and other income sources, all factors which should be taken into account when comparing levels of funding in different local authority areas. If the Deputy wishes to clarify the details of the specific headings on which he seeks information and the names of the local authorities with which he wishes to compare Carlow County Council, I will endeavour to provide the information requested. However, it is important to note that I can provide information with regard to funding streams from my Department only.