Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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298. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if grants will be available for those who are not first-time buyers but who are first-time builders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5915/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All, the Government's housing plan for Ireland, sets out four pathways to a sustainable housing system. A key objective is that everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life.

Housing for Allrecognises that particular challenges arise for facilitating owner-occupation in towns and villages, where viable sites available for building of new homes are in short supply. In this regard, the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) initiative, which will be launched in Q2 2022, will be delivered by local authorities for the provision of serviced sites for housing, to attract people to build their own homes and to support the refurbishment of vacant properties, enabling people to live in small towns and villages, in a sustainable way. A pathfinder programme will be initiated as part of Croí Cónaithe (Towns), to facilitate the making available of some 2,000 sites for homes by 2025.

The Local Authority Home Loan, the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, is a Government backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022 for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build.

In addition, the Help to Buy (HTB) incentive, which is a matter for the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe T.D., helps first-time buyers buy a newly-built house or apartment. It also applies to once-off self-build homes.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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299. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when an exemption for the conversion of pubs into residential units will be introduced under the Housing for All plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5934/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Planning and Development (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2018, which came into operation on 8 February 2018, provide for an exemption from the requirement to obtain planning permission in respect of the change of use of certain vacant commercial premises to residential use, including the conversion of vacant areas above ground floor commercial premises to residential use. This measure was aimed at facilitating the productive re-use of qualifying vacant commercial buildings as homes, while also facilitating urban renewal and the bringing on stream of increased housing supply. The original expiry date of the Regulations was 31 December 2021 which was subsequently extended to 25 February 2022 arising from the Covid-related shutdown of the planning system for 8 weeks during the period March to May 2020, which extended all planning timelines by 8 weeks.

The Government's recently published Housing Plan for Ireland - Housing for All commits to reviewing and extending the 2018 regulations to the end of 2025. As has previously been signalled, it is proposed to extend the scope of the measure to enable the conversion of vacant public houses into residential use without the need for planning permission subject to certain limitations and conditions.

Under section 262(4) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, legislative proposals in relation to exempted development require the approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas before they can be signed into law. In this regard, the draft Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) Regulations 2022 were laid before both Houses on 3 February 2022. Subject to the approval of the Oireachtas, I would hope to sign the new regulations shortly.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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300. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will advise on reports of a new grant for persons purchasing derelict houses; the timeline for its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5944/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system. The strategy sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum.

The suite of measures under the pathway to addressing vacancy and efficient use of existing stock includes the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund which will be delivered by local authorities for the provision of serviced sites for housing, to attract people to build their own homes and to support the refurbishment of vacant properties, enabling people to live in small towns and villages, in a sustainable way.

The approach to the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is currently under consideration and it is expected that a call for proposals will issue to local authorities later this quarter.