Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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820. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of WTE vacant homes officers employed, by local authority, in the years 2019 to date, in tabular form. [1901/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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 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 2024, 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: www.gov.ie/en/publication/df86c-vacant-homes-action-plan-2023-2026/.

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 supported the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that the VHO role in each local authority is fulltime. 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.

Since 2023, all 31 local authorities have a fulltime Vacant Homes Officer in place.

In acknowledgement of the administrative overheads for local authorities in managing the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Ready to Build Scheme, my Department provided a supporting allocation of up to €180,000 to each local authority in respect of processing applications for both schemes, which are funded under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund.

VHOs across local authorities are supported in their work by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department and by the Housing Agency.