Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will incentivise local authorities that deliver or exceed their housing targets, by providing additional funding in schemes such as tenant in situ and vacant/derelict property grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53822/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment which is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2025, with overall capital funding now allocated by Government of almost €7.5 billion. The capital provision for 2025 is supplemented by a further €1.65 billion in current funding.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant introduced in July 2022, provides a grant of up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. A top-up grant of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed to be derelict, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000. The maximum grant amounts were increased in May 2023 from €30,000 to €50,000 to take account of rising costs. The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant is a demand led scheme with local authorities reimbursed for the total amount of grants paid. There are no targets set for delivery under the scheme.

My Department has provided €325 million to support a second-hand acquisitions programme in 2025. The programme supports priority categories of need, including exits from homeless services, tenancy sustainment (tenant in situ), people with a disability and older persons requiring urgent housing responses, and Buy and Renew acquisitions tackling vacancy.

I have recently secured a further €50 million as part the National Development Plan capital funding process to expand the second hand acquisitions programme this year. I intend this funding to be ring-fenced and target acquisitions that support households, primarily larger families with children, to exit long-term emergency accommodation arrangements.

The delivery performance of local authorities against their targets under Housing for All is kept under continual review by my Department. Beginning this year, I started publishing the delivery achieved by all local authorities – as set against their targets – as part of the quarterly statistics published. This will allow for greater transparency and engagement with the delivery of new-build housing at a local level.

There is a commitment in the Programme for Government that a new, all of government, national housing plan to follow Housing for All, underpinned by multi-annual funding will be published. The new plan will be published shortly and I have asked my Department to investigate areas where we can focus additional support to local authorities who are delivering on their housing targets.