Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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350. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of Mayo County Council's current derelict and vacant homes activation strategy; the targets for bringing such homes back into use and the level of compulsory purchase order activity undertaken in 2025 and in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67932/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Working to end dereliction and vacancy is a key priority in the Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The Plan will ensure that the activities and resources used to address vacancy and dereliction are co-ordinated, and that legislative powers are used proactively to work to bring dereliction and vacancy to an end.

The Vacant Homes Action Plan outlines the range of initiatives and funding mechanisms that have been introduced in recent years and these measures are successfully reducing the levels of vacancy and dereliction right across the country, including County Mayo.

One of the key measures in the Action Plan is the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022. The grant provides up to €70,000 for the refurbishment of vacant and derelict properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent. To end of Q3 2025 in Mayo County Council, 871 applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant have been received, with 617 approvals and 159 grants paid with a total value of over €8.5 million.

Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the grant will be improved and expanded, with a new 'Above the Shop' grant and a new Expert Advice Grant to support property owners to bring these vacant upper floors into use as homes.

The CPO Activation Programme was launched in 2023. This requires local authorities, including Mayo, to take a proactive, systematic approach to identifying and activating vacant and derelict properties. It includes use of their compulsory purchase powers under the Derelict Sites Act and the Housing Act, when engagement with the owners of these properties is not successful in bringing them back into use

My Department has published data for 2023 and 2024 on the CPO Activation Programme on its website, which includes the number of properties that entered the Programme, the number of compulsory purchase/acquisitions commenced and the number of compulsory purchase/acquisitions completed per local authority. This data can be accessed at the following link: Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) Activation Programme. . Under Delivering Homes, Building Communities, data on the CPO Activation Programme will be published annually on local authorities’ achievements in progress and delivery.

All 31 local authorities have a full-time Vacant Homes Officer in place as a key point of contact in their Vacant Homes Office teams. My Department provides annual funding to each local authority to reinforce their capacity to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction. Vacant Homes Officers are supported in their role by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department, the Housing Agency and through the Vacant Homes Officer Network.

Another focus is the active and timely use of the Derelict Sites Act, increasing the number of properties on the Derelict Sites Register and increasing and enforcing the collection of levies. Information on the number of properties Mayo County Council have acquired under the Derelict Sites Act is included in the attached table.

A Derelict Property Tax was announced in Budget 2026 and it is intended to introduce legislation providing for the tax in 2026. When it comes into effect, the tax will replace the Derelict Sites Levy and will be collected by the Revenue Commissioners. The new tax will support the many existing measures introduced to tackle dereliction by providing a deterrent to those who allow their property and land to fall into disrepair and to remain so.

I firmly believe the commitment Government has made to addressing vacancy and dereliction and the actions under Delivering Homes, Building Communities will play a vital role in delivering homes across the country.