Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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516. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the Rural Regeneration Development Fund can be used by local authorities to purchase vacant and derelict properties for refurbishment to help rejuvenate the towns and villages and provide much needed housing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23815/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Town Centre First Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing and development.

A key aim of both of these policies is addressing vacancy and dereliction and ensuring that schemes are in place to directly address and tackle these issues in our rural towns and villages. This also complements other national policies such as Housing for All and the National Planning Framework which have similar aims to strengthen rural economies and communities, to revitalise our towns and ensure rural areas are vibrant and lived-in places.

My Department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is one of the key capital investment schemes supporting Town Centre First. While it does not include a specific focus on housing projects, the RRDF provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects, including the purchase of vacant and derelict properties in towns, villages and rural areas across Ireland.

On the 13th of May 2024, I announced funding of €164 million for 30 projects under the 5th Call for Category 1 projects located right across the country. These projects will be transformative as they focus on revitalising our rural towns and villages by supporting sustainable regeneration projects. The RRDF is having a demonstrably positive impact on addressing dereliction, in particular when it comes to heritage buildings in rural towns.