Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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366. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the provisions available for MS sufferers to avail of housing adaptation grants, such as bathroom conversions, etc. to enable them to continue to live independently for as long as possible. [36035/24]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides Exchequer funding to local authorities under the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability scheme, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The grants include the Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability, the Mobility Aids Grant and the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, which are 80% funded by my Department, with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. The detailed administration of the scheme including assessment, approval, prioritisation and budgetary apportionment is the responsibility of local authorities.

The Housing Adaptation Grant for People with a Disability and the Mobility Aids Grant is available for the carrying out of works of adaptation that, in the opinion of the local authority, are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for a member of the household who has an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability. In general, it can be used for works such as level access showers, accessible bathrooms, access ramps, stair lifts or extensions. Having considered all of the circumstances in any particular case, it is a matter for the local authority to determine grant eligibility.

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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367. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of applications received under the croí cónaithe (towns) fund; the number of successful applications; and the number of administrative and support staff processing these applications, by local authority, in each of the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [36043/24]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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391. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of persons who have applied for the vacant property refurbishment grant in each month since its establishment; the number who have been refused a grant; the number to whom money has been paid out; and the number waiting for a determination on their application, in tabular form. [36601/24]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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415. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for a list of all programmes funded by his Department aimed at tackling vacancy and dereliction, with the number of homes brought back into use through each of these schemes in each of the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [36833/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 367, 391 and 415 together.

Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government, as set out in Pathway 4 of Housing for All.

The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I launched in January 2023, outlines the significant progress that has been made in addressing vacancy, along with the actions that are being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. Earlier this year, I launched the Vacant Homes Action Plan, Progress Report April 2024 which sets out what has been achieved in 2023 and the further steps that will be taken in 2024.

Information on the number of properties brought back into use through the various vacancy initiatives is provided in the table attached.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to €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. Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a 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.

My Department publishes data on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which includes a breakdown of the grants paid per local authority and the total amount of grants paid. This data can be accessed at the following link: .

In January 2022, my Department communicated with local authorities outlining that annual 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.