Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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311. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the funding his Department will deliver to local authorities to ensure that they can employ a full-time vacant homes officer from January 2021. [62503/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Since 2018, my Department has made funding of €50,000 per annum available to each local authority to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a vacant homes officer. Housing for All commits to ensuring that vacant homes officers are full-time officers. The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of local authorities to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction with a view to increasing the opportunities for residential development.

In October 2021, my Department communicated with each local authority on the continuation of this funding into 2022 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office supporting local authorities funding of a vacant homes officer. My Department will be communicating further with local authorities, subsequent to the forthcoming launch of the town centre first policy, with a particular focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction to support the regeneration of town centres.