Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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625. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of persons who have applied for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant in each month since its establishment, the number who have been refused a grant; the number to whom money has been paid out; and the number waiting for a determination on their application, in tabular form. [55225/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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. In order to qualify for the grant, the property must be vacant for two years or more at the time of application.

My Department publishes data on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis, which includes the number of applications, approvals and the total number and value of grants paid per local authority. This data also includes a breakdown of applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Derelict Property Top-up Grant for every quarter. The Q2 2025 grant statistics were published on 18th July 2025. This data can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-statistics/#2025

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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626. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department provides specific funding to local authorities for the purposes of refurbishment of vacant social housing stock; if he will detail the amount which has been made available to each local authority for this purpose; and the amount which has been drawn down in each of the past five years. [55226/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 2019.

Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain their own stock, my Department provides annual funding support to local authorities for management and maintenance under the current Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme.

This funding should supplement LA own resources and not be seen as a substitute for adequate budgeting for housing management and maintenance by local authority officials and elected members as part of their annual budgetary process.

An annualised breakdown by local authority of the funding provided and the number of properties remediated under the Voids programme is available on my Department's website at the following link:

(www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme) .

My Department continues to support local authorities in their work in this area this year and €31 million of funding has been made available. Details in relation to delivery under the 2025 Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme will be available early in 2026.