Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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43. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the funding given to each local authority in 2022 to tackle dereliction. [26616/22]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The options in relation to vacant or derelict housing are addressed in Pathway 4 of Housing for All which notes that at a time of such high housing need, we have to ensure that the houses we already have are being fully used.  

Under Housing For All, there are a suite of measures to address vacancy and dereliction through efficient use of existing stock including the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund which will be delivered by local authorities to support the refurbishment of vacant properties, enabling people to live in small towns and villages, in a sustainable way. Work in relation to the operation of the Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund is at an advanced stage, including the scope and appropriate timeframes, and it will be launched shortly.

Local authorities have discretion within their overall annual budget to apply funding in this area from their own resources which is a matter for each individual local authority to determine having regard to their finances. The proceeds from the derelict site levy are retained by local authorities and may be used for this purpose.

Funding to tackle dereliction in major towns and cities may be made available through the integrated projects being supported by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund which was launched in 2018. This fund is targeting financial support in an integrated, dynamic and responsive way to support the regeneration and rejuvenation of our towns and cities.

In addition, funding of the acquisition of derelict sites by local authorities, whether through compulsory purchase under the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act or otherwise by agreement, is related to the purpose for which the local authority uses the site. For example, my Department provides full funding to local authorities for sites that are used for social housing developments, while other Departments may support sites used for programmes that they support in line with the functions of the local authority.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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44. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of whole-time equivalent staff that he plans to employ in the vacant homes' unit; and if he considers this sufficient. [26618/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to the reply to Question No. 164 of 5 May 2022.

The full time staff complement of the Vacant Homes Unit will involve further staffing, the specific resourcing requirements of which remains under ongoing review, to support the dedicated full-time Principal Officer and Assistant Principal Officer.