Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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291. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he intends to extend the remit of vacant homes officers in local authorities, with a specific focus on bringing vacant commercial units back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14811/25]

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. My Department publishes annual progress reports on the Action Plan outlining what has been achieved each year and plans for the year ahead, and this week I published the 2025 Progress Report.

My Department provides funding of €60,000 per annum to support each local authority's Vacant Homes Office, including a Vacant Homes Officer (VHO), this was increased from €50,000 in 2022. This supports 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 full-time VHO in place. They play a vital role in delivering and advancing measures to tackle vacancy and dereliction in each local authority. This work involves engaging with the owners of vacant and derelict properties and promoting uptake of supports such as the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, Repair and Leasing Scheme, as well as other initiatives such as the Planning regulations which exempt certain vacant commercial premises from requiring planning permission to change to residential purposes.

VHOs are also expected to coordinate with colleagues across the local authority in Planning, Derelict Sites and other teams in their local authority with the overarching objective of tackling vacancy. VHOs across local authorities are supported in their work by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department and by the Housing Agency.

Tackling vacancy is also key part of the Town Centre First initiative which is a whole-of-government policy framework to address the decline in the health of towns and support measures to revitalise them. Dedicated Town Regeneration Officers are now established within local authorities, working closely with VHOs and others to comprehensively develop regeneration and investment plans locally.