Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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847. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the current policy regarding the use of derelict protected structures for emergency or short-term accommodation; the criteria or guidelines in place to assess the suitability of such properties for this purpose, ensuring the safety and well-being of residents while preserving the integrity of protected structures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11148/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at the local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.

A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each of the nine homeless regions in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. Decisions on the range of homeless services including emergency accommodation in each region are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.

An allocation of €303m, an increase of €61m on the 2024 provision, has been made under Budget 2025 to provide homeless prevention services, emergency accommodation and other services for households experiencing homelessness.

In addition, capital funding of €25m has been made available to my Department and will support the delivery of high quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness.

To assist local authorities in the delivery of new emergency accommodation my Department published Guidelines for Development of New Emergency Accommodation in September 2022. The Guidelines have been issued to all local authorities and set out the expectation and standards required in the development of emergency accommodation. The Guidelines also set out the criteria with regard to the suitability of properties for use as emergency accommodation and Section 1.4 of the Guidelines refers specifically to protected structures. The Guidelines can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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848. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the data his Department has on levels of vacancy and dereliction in each local authority, including numbers of units, entries on the derelict sites register and amounts owed to local authorities for unpaid derelict sites levies; and to provide the most up-to-date information on these issues and other data relating to vacancy and dereliction held by his Department. [11150/25]

James Browne (Wexford, 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, published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. The Action Plan Progress Report was published in April 2024 and is available here on my Department's website: www.gov.ie/en/publication/df86c-vacant-homes-action-plan-2023-2026/

The next Progress Report will be published in the coming months and will outline what has been achieved in 2024 and the measures planned for 2025.

Data in relation to vacant properties is available from a number of sources such as the CSO Census and GeoDirectory publications. In the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report for Q4 2024, the average vacancy rate across Ireland had dropped to 3.8%, the lowest rate recorded since 2013.

The CSO is also developing a publication which will provide information on the extent of residential vacancy in 2022 and 2023, with future regular publications also planned. The publications are based on patterns of residential electricity consumption using data provided to the CSO by the ESB.

In relation to derelict sites, 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.

Each local authority maintains a Derelict Sites Register under section 8 of the Act for sites which they consider are derelict under the Act. Sites entered on the Derelict Sites Register are subject to an annual derelict sites levy of 7% of market value which will continue to apply until the site is rendered non-derelict. The table at the link below contains the information requested regarding the operation of the derelict sites register, as per the most recent available returns from local authorities relating to the years 2022 and 2023.

My Department has also supported local authorities to collate data on vacant and derelict properties in their administrative areas. Almost all local authorities now have a database of vacant properties which they can update on an ongoing basis. The database is not intended to be a comprehensive count of every vacant and derelict property in their administrative area. It is used by the local authority to engage with property owners and work with them to bring those properties back into use.

While varying levels and rates of vacancy are indicated in the different data sources, the overall trend is downwards and vacancy levels are reducing.