Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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336. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the repair and leasing scheme was introduced; the number of approvals each year since the scheme was introduced; the number of applicants who have received payment under the scheme each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37449/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) was developed to assist private property owners and local authorities or approved housing bodies (AHBs) to harness the accommodation potential that exists in vacant dwellings across Ireland. Subject to the suitability of the dwelling for social housing, the cost of the necessary repairs will be met upfront by the local authority or an AHB with the cost of the repairs being recovered from the property owner by offsetting it against the lease payment.

An initial pilot RLS scheme was launched in Carlow and Waterford local authorities in October 2016. Following on from the success of the initial pilot in Waterford and Carlow, RLS was rolled out on a national basis from 23 February 2017.

At end Q1 2021, a total of 247 dwellings had been brought back into use under the scheme across a range of dwelling types, including over the shop properties, former bedsits, city centre terraced houses, and one off rural dwellings. The budget allocation for RLS in 2021 is €11 million. My Department is currently collecting data from Local Authorities for Q2 2021 and it will be published shortly.

Data to end Q1 2021 in relation to dwellings delivered by each local authority under RLS, broken down by year, is available on my Department's website at the following link:

https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#repair-and-leasing-scheme-rls