Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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392. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reasons for the delays in local authorities paying out croí cónaithe grants to applicants who have completed their works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52897/23]

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.

In July 2022 the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant was launched to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use.

From 1 May 2023, a grant of up to a maximum of €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent, including the conversion of a property which has not been used as residential heretofore, subject to appropriate planning permission being in place.

Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a maximum top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.

The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built up to and including 2007, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas.

The grant process involves the local authority receiving and reviewing applications to ensure that the grant conditions are met and arranging for a qualified person to visit the property to check the refurbishment work being applied for and to assess the proposed cost. Following confirmation of a successful application and the works being completed, the local authority will conduct a final property visit to review that the work has been completed in-line with the grant application. Once the local authority is satisfied, they will then pay the grant.

The grant is paid when works are completed, following a final inspection by the local authority. Payment of the grant at the end of the process is to ensure that the applicant has carried out the works applied for, and approved, and to safeguard that the grant is related to the works which have been completed.

Currently payment of grants is issuing some 12 months from date of approval, as works are completed.

When the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund was launched, a commitment was given that the schemes funded by it would be kept under ongoing review. It is intended that a comprehensive review and evaluation of the schemes under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund will be undertaken by mid-2024.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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393. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the provision of the second vacant homes officer for Tipperary County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52899/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All. In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that funding, made available since 2018 to support the work of a Vacant Homes Office including a Vacant Homes Officer (VHO), would be increased from €50,000 to €60,000 per annum, from mid-2022.

This supports the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that VHOs are full-time. The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of local authorities, including through the important role of VHOs, to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction with a view to increasing the opportunities for residential development.

All 31 local authorities now have a full time, dedicated VHO in place.

The role of the VHO in each local authority is:

- To actively promote and lead the uptake within the local authority of various initiatives, schemes and funding programmes to address vacancy and bring vacant properties into residential use;

- To actively engage with owners of vacant properties and other relevant stakeholders and promote use of relevant schemes and supports to bring vacant properties into use;

- To collect, monitor and assess vacancy data locally and use that data to actively engage with property owners and promote schemes to encourage activation of properties; and

- Play a communication, promotion and advisory role both internally within the local authority and externally as a contact point for members of the public and key interested parties on vacant homes/properties.

VHOs across local authorities are supported in their work by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department and the Housing Agency. The Vacant Homes Unit supports the VHOs and the VHO network, providing information and advice, facilitating dissemination of information and best practice.

The Department is engaging with Tipperary County Council in relation to a second Vacant Homes Officer. Where additional resources to work on addressing vacancy are sought by local authorities a business case is required providing information on the current structure, location and resourcing of the Vacant Homes Office in the local authority, co-ordination with other teams addressing vacancy and dereliction, the roles to be undertaken by the resources requested and expected outputs.

While my Department has a role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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394. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the provision of additional housing staff to Tipperary County Council for the establishment of new affordable housing schemes in towns and villages across the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52900/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Following the publication of Housing for All in September 2021, I asked all local authorities to prepare Housing Delivery Action Plans. Each local authority was asked to assess the level of housing demand with an affordability constraint projected for their area based on the Housing Need and Demand Assessment Tool (HNDA) in order to plan their provision accordingly.

Local authorities with the highest levels of affordable housing need were asked to prepare Affordable Delivery Plans as part of their overall Plans and were set five-year Affordable Delivery Targets.

Tipperary does not have a specific target as average house price levels in the county are still well below the national median.

However, I would point out that in local authority areas without specific affordable housing delivery targets, where localised challenges are evidenced, funding can be made available to develop an affordable housing scheme or schemes in line with Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) criteria.