Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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242. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if an audit of vacant publicly owned buildings has been carried out or can be carried out with a view to providing emergency housing for local people and immigrants who may have a need for the urgent availability for housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12224/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the statutory role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988.

My Department does not fund any homeless services directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards these costs. Under the funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of these funding arrangements with my Department.

Under the Exchequer funding arrangements in place between the Department and housing authorities, decisions on the funding, organisation and range of accommodation services to be provided are a matter for the individual housing authorities in consultation with the Statutory Management Group of the relevant regional Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum, and the Department has no function in relation to operational matters. As such the identification of the need for additional resources, including the identification of suitable vacant accommodation for potential use as emergency accommodation, is a matter for the local authorities in the first instance.

Notwithstanding that, as part of the whole of Government humanitarian response to the invasion of Ukraine, my Department, in partnership with the local government sector, is overseeing the emergency refurbishment programme for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine. At the outset of the crisis, local authorities were asked to identify vacant multi-occupancy buildings that may be suitable and available for refurbishment, with buildings across the country now at various stages of refurbishment and others passed to the Department of Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth for occupation.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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243. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which he can approach all of the problems with a view to accessing currently empty vacant accommodation with a potential for use in a housing emergency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12225/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Pathway 4 of Housing for All sets out a blueprint to address vacancy and make efficient use of our existing housing stock. Many areas of cities, towns and villages of all sizes face the blight of vacant properties, which, if brought back into use, could add real vibrancy and provide new accommodation in those areas. Significant progress is being made under Housing for All including:

- The government launched the Town Centre First policy, a major new policy initiative that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres.

- A €150 million Urban Regeneration Development Fund is being made available for local authorities to acquire vacant or derelict properties and sites for re-use or sale.

- Full-time Vacant Homes Officers are now in place across 30 local authorities.

- The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund was launched on 14 July 2022 for eligible vacant properties in towns and villages. On 15 November 2022, the grant was extended to include vacant properties in cities and all rural areas. A grant of up to €30,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence. Where a property is derelict, a top up grant of €20,000 is available, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property to €50,000

- The Ready to Build Scheme, funded by the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, was launched on 21 September 2022. Under the scheme, local authorities provide serviced sites in towns and villages at discounted rates for individuals who wish to build their own home.

- The Fair Deal scheme has been reformed to reduce disincentives to selling /renting unused homes.

- We have extended planning regulations that exempt certain vacant commercial premises from requiring planning permission to change of use for residential purposes.

- We will shortly be introducing a new programme for the CPO of vacant properties for resale on the open market.

- In order to drive take-up of the Repair and Leasing Scheme, criteria were amended which previously required that a property owner must be unable to fund or access funding to bring vacant units up to rental standards.

- A new short-term letting registration system has been developed, which requires Short Term and Holiday Lets to register with Fáilte Ireland with a view to ensuring that homes are used to best effect in areas of housing need.

- A Vacant Homes Action Plan was launched in January, which outlines all of the progress that has been made in addressing vacancy along with the actions that are being pursued to return as many vacant properties back to viable use as possible.