Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2025
472. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant housing officers, per local authority, in terms of full-time equivalent posts, in tabular form; the expenditure per local authority on addressing housing vacancy in each of the years 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14142/25]
View answerAddressing 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 in the coming weeks I will publish the 2025 Progress Report.
My Department provides funding to local authorities across a range of the schemes in the Action Plan to support their work in tackling vacancy and dereliction, including funding for resources.
A key initiative under the Action Plan is the successful delivery of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. By the end of 2024, over 1,400 grants were paid out nationwide, supporting people to return previously empty dwellings into use as homes. This amounts to €77 million in grant funding. All grant data from 2022 onwards 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.
In acknowledgement of the administrative overhead for local authorities in managing the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and the Ready to Build Scheme, my Department provided an initial supporting allocation of up to €180,000 to each local authority in respect of processing applications. Another initiative in the Action Plan is the €150 million Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, which has been made available for local authorities to acquire vacant or derelict properties and sites for re-use or sale. More than 1,200 vacant and derelict properties have now been identified and approved under Call 3 of the Fund, with an estimated residential yield of over 4,800 homes.Funding is also made available through the Social Housing Investment Programme, the Repair and Leasing Scheme and the Local Authority Purchase and Renovation Loan, among other initiatives.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 fulltime VHO in place. VHOs across local authorities are supported in their work by the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department and by the Housing Agency.
