Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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607. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of derelict properties in counties Longford and Westmeath in 2023 and 2024. [54957/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are required to maintain a Derelict Sites Register, indicating any land which, in the opinion of the local authority, is a derelict site.

A property can be placed on the Derelict Site Register where it is deemed by a local authority to satisfy the criteria under section 3 of the Act i.e. (i) it is in a dangerous or ruinous condition; (ii) it is in a neglected or unsightly condition; or (iii) there is a presence of litter, waste or debris on the site. Section 8(5) of the Act, provides that "The register shall be kept at the offices of the local authority and shall be available for inspection at the offices of the local authority during office hours."

Local authorities are required to provide data on derelict sites included on the register within their functional area as part of their annual return on the operation of the Act. The 2023 statistics from Longford and Westmeath County Council, are provided in the Table provided. My Department is currently engaged with all local authorities in the process of collecting and collating the 2024 annual returns.

Funding of €1.5m has been allocated to Longford under the Third Round of Funding Support, with forward funding of €300,000 approved. There are currently 6 properties on the Council’s Approved Programme.

Funding of €2.5m has been allocated to Westmeath under the Third Round of Funding Support, with forward funding of €500,000 approved. The Council now have 40 properties approved for inclusion in the Call 3 Approved Programme with 16 recently approved for inclusion.

My Department also introduced Planning and Development Regulations, that provide an exemption from the need to obtain planning permission for the change of use of certain vacant commercial buildings to residential use, including ‘above the shop’ living. The most recent local authority returns from 2024 show that local authorities have received notifications of 1,457 exempted development proposals to date, with plans put forward that result in the provision of 3,429 new homes nationwide.

These exemptions can be combined with other funding supports such as the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant (VPRG) and the Repair and Leasing Scheme in order to bring a building into a residential use. At the end of Q2 2025, over 13,730 applications had been received for the VPRG, almost 10,000 approved and over 2,800 grants paid to date as refurbishment works have been completed. Further information on the range of supports is also available on my Department’s website.

My Department publishes data on applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which includes the number of applications, approvals, the type of grant applied for (vacant property refurbishment or derelict top-up grant) and the total amount of grants paid per local authority. This data can be accessed at the following link: (www.gov.ie/en/collection/4bbe4-vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-statistics/#:~:text=A%20grant%20of%20up%20to,property%20up%20to%20%E2%82%AC70%2C000).

The new Programme for Government ‘Securing Ireland’s Future’ also includes actions that aim to further continue work on addressing dereliction and regeneration challenges. These measures will be considered in the context of the forthcoming new National Housing Plan that is currently being prepared by my Department, including consideration of potential funding and financial supports to assist in encouraging the use of vacant or derelict buildings in towns and cities for new homes.