Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1166.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to address the situation of dereliction in Drogheda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33217/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government.

The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I originally published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. In April I published an update on the Action Plan which shows the significant progress that is being made and it is available here on my Department's website: .

A key initiative under the Action Plan to address vacancy and dereliction has been the introduction of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund. From May 2023, up to a maximum of €50,000 in grant funding is available to support the refurbishment of a vacant property into a home. Where the property is confirmed as derelict, up to a maximum of €70,000 in grant funding is available.

Also as part of the Action Plan, I announced a €150 million Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) for local authorities to acquire vacant or derelict properties for reuse or sale, using their compulsory purchase powers were necessary. The Fund will be replenished from the proceeds received from the sale or reuse of a site, allowing a local authority to establish a rolling programme to tackle vacancy.

In addition to URDF funding, the Social Housing Capital Funding Programmes (Social Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) and the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS)) support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to tackle vacancy and dereliction through the purchase and renewal of vacant buildings and blocks as new social homes. The funding for local authorities to purchase and renew vacant buildings as new social homes is drawn from the €1.4 billion capital funding available under the Social Housing Capital Funding Programmes and is demand-led.

The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. Local authority powers include requiring owners or occupiers to take appropriate measures on derelict sites; acquiring derelict sites by agreement, or compulsorily; and applying a derelict sites levy on derelict sites.

It is a matter for local authorities to determine the most appropriate use of the legislation within their respective functional areas.

The most efficient home to deliver is one which already exists. I firmly believe that the commitment this Government has made to addressing vacancy and dereliction will continue to play a vital role in delivering homes and revitalising local communities.