Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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582. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps being taken to address dereliction in urban and rural areas of Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44694/24]

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

The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I 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 this year, I published an update on the Action Plan which shows the significant progress that is being made and it is available on my Department's website at the following link: gov - Vacant Homes Action Plan 2023-2026 (www.gov.ie).

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.

My Department publishes data on number of applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis and these publications include local authority breakdowns. The Quarter 3 2024 statistics were published on Monday, 21 October and can be accessed at the following link:

gov.ie - Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics (www.gov.ie)

In April 2023, I launched the CPO Activation Programme requiring a proactive and systematic approach by local authorities to identifying vacant and derelict properties and engaging with owners to bring those properties back into use. This includes the active use of compulsory purchase powers by local authorities.

In January 2023, I announced details regarding Call 3 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). Supporting key objectives of Housing for All, Town Centre First, and the Vacant Homes Action Plan, this round of URDF support has been specifically designed to address long term vacancy and dereliction across URDF eligible cities and towns. Under Call 3, Kildare County Council have been awarded €7 million in URDF funding for an approved acquisitions programme of 56 properties.

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 and the actions taken will continue to play a vital role in delivering homes and revitalising local communities.