Written Answers Nos. 652-671
654. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an up-to-date contact list for queries from Oireachtas Members to agencies under his Department, in tabular form. [3875/26]
View answerThe list of email addresses for queries from Oireachtas members to State bodies and entities under the aegis of my Department is set out in the table below.
|
Bodies under the Aegis of DHLGH |
Oireachtas email |
|
An Coimisiún Pleanála |
|
|
An Fóram Uisce |
|
|
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority |
|
|
Construction Industry Register Ireland |
|
|
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum |
|
|
Gas Networks Ireland |
|
|
Heritage Council |
|
|
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency |
|
|
Housing Finance Agency |
|
|
Land Development Agency |
|
|
Local Government Management Agency |
|
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
|
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
|
|
Office of the Planning Regulator |
|
|
Property Services Appeal Board |
|
|
Property Services Regulatory Authority |
|
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
|
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
|
|
Tailte Éireann |
|
|
Uisce Éireann |
|
|
Valuation Tribunal |
|
|
Waterways Ireland |
655. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given that the delivering homes, building communities plan aims to support local authorities to meet their target of inspecting 25% of the private rented tenancies in their area, to provide the number of properties that were inspected in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; the data available to date, by tenancy type (AHB, PRA), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3899/26]
View answerThe standards for rental accommodation are prescribed in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 and specify requirements in relation to a range of matters, such as structural repair, sanitary facilities, heating, ventilation, natural light, fire safety and the safety of gas, oil and electrical supplies. These Regulations apply to all properties let or available for let. All landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their rented properties comply with the standards set down in the Regulations.
Responsibility for the enforcement of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 in the private rental sector rests with the relevant local authority.
The Government is committed to ensuring that a stock of high quality accommodation is available for those who live in the private rented sector. A total of €10.5m in Exchequer funding is being made available by my Department to local authorities this year to help them meet their private rental inspection targets.
The number of rental inspections conducted by local authorities has increased significantly in recent years. Increasing from an average of 20,000 a year in the period 2005 to 2017 to over 49,000 in 2022, over 63,500 in 2023, and an all-time-high of over 80,000 in 2024.
Detailed data in respect of the level of inspections and enforcement actions carried out and legal actions initiated by each local authority in 2023 and 2024 is available on my Department's website at www.gov.ie/en/publication/da3fe-private-housing-market-statistics/. The data provided to my Department by local authorities does not include a breakdown of how many inspections were in respect of AHB-owned properties.
Rental inspection data is submitted by local authorities to my Department on a quarterly basis. Provisional data indicates that 63,192 inspections had been conducted by local authorities in 2025 by the end of quarter 3. Finalised full-year data for 2025 will be uploaded, in due course, to my Department's website.
656. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has reviewed the approaches taken by different local authorities in defining and assessing ribbon development in their county development plans; whether variations exist between counties in how ribbon development is calculated; and if so, whether he considers such variation to be consistent with national planning policy. [3901/26]
View answer657. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether national planning policy provides sufficiently clear guidance to local authorities on the treatment of backland or backyard development; whether his Department is aware of significant variation between county development plans in facilitating or restricting such development; and whether updated guidance is under consideration. [3903/26]
View answer658. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether he plans to issue updated national guidance or circulars to local authorities to ensure a consistent approach to ribbon development and backland development across the State; and if so, the proposed timeline for same. [3905/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 656, 657 and 658 together.
The National Planning Framework (NPF), which was first published in 2018 and was revised in 2025, sets out high-level national policies and objectives, which are essential to achieving proper planning and sustainable development, with a clear vision to guide future development and investment decisions. The strategy sets out the spatial planning policy approach to accommodating projected population growth to 2040 in a manner which delivers balanced regional development, based on a city-focused and compact growth pattern of development intended to reverse the pattern of sprawl that have been a feature over recent decades.
National Strategic Objective No. 1 of the National Planning Framework (NPF) is ‘Compact Growth’. This addresses the need for a more sustainable form of development in Ireland’s cities and towns, in particular. This policy initiative was introduced in response to an identified need to counter the trend of urban sprawl, to support the targeted delivery of infrastructure services, to promote cities and towns to be self-sustaining and viable places in which to live and work.
With regard to rural areas, the NPF complements and builds on existing government policy set out in Our Rural Future 2021-2025 and Our Living Islands National Islands Policy 2023-2033. It recognises that the Irish countryside is, and will continue to be, a living and lived-in landscape focusing on the requirements of rural economies and rural communities, based on agriculture, forestry, energy, inland waterways, marine, tourism and rural enterprise, while at the same time protecting the capacity of the receiving environment and avoiding ribbon and over-spill development from urban areas. The revised NPF notes the high cost of infrastructure delivery associated with ‘strip’ or ‘ribbon development’ as well as the role such development plays in hampering an effective responses to climate change, congestion and pollution, increased commuting times and on people’s health and wellbeing.
National Policy Objective (NPO) 24 of the Revised NPF seeks to support the sustainable development of rural areas by encouraging growth and arresting decline in areas that have experienced low population growth or decline in recent decades and by managing the growth of areas that are under strong urban influence to avoid overdevelopment, while sustaining vibrant rural communities.
The local authority development plan is the principal planning policy tool to achieve these objectives at a local level. All current development plans across the country were adopted under the Planning and Development Act 2000, which required planning authorities to set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of their functional area including, where appropriate, rural areas in respect of which planning guidelines relating to sustainable rural housing issued by the Minister under section 28 apply.
Part 3, Chapter 5 (Development Plans) of the Planning and Development Act 2024 commenced on 31 December 2025. Sections 44 to 51 of the Act of 2024 require planning authorities to include various strategies and objectives in preparing development plans made under the 2024 Act, including in relation to the sustainable development of their functional area. Section 46 of the Act of 2024 requires planning authorities to prepare a housing development strategy for its functional area, including the provision of housing within settlements and the open countryside.
When preparing a development plan, planning authorities were required under the 2000 Act to have regard to any Ministerial Guidelines issued by the Minister under section 28 of that Act, and to apply any specific planning policy requirements (SPPRs) contained within those Guidelines.
Ministerial Guidelines will, over time, be replaced with National Planning Statements (NPSs) issued under the 2024 Act. All Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES), development plans, planning schemes or planning frameworks must be ‘materially consistent’ with any National Planning Policies and Measures and take ‘due account’ any National Planning Policy Guidance contained within an NPS.
With regard to cities, towns and villages, and in support of the NPF Objectives, the Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities, were issued as Ministerial Guidelines in January 2024, under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). The Settlement Guidelines set out policy and guidance in relation to growth priorities for settlements at each tier in the national settlement hierarchy. This includes delivering brownfield and infill development (including backland development) at suitable locations and delivering integrated, sequential and sustainable extensions to existing settlements.
The Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities January 2012 were also issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). The Guidelines state that development plans and local area plans should include policies aimed at maintaining the safety and capacity of national roads by avoiding the creation of additional access points and the generation of additional traffic from existing access points on roads where a speed limit greater than 60 km/h applies. The planning authorities are strongly recommended to identify, as part of the development plan process, those stretches of non-national roads outside the 50-60 km/h speed limit zones where it would also be appropriate to apply the guidelines.
Rural Housing Guidelines were last issued in 2005 as Ministerial Guidelines under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. These Guidelines provide that people who are an intrinsic part of the rural community, on the basis of an economic or social need, should be facilitated in all rural areas. In areas under strong urban influence, the policy is to direct urban generated housing into cities, towns and villages. In a rural area suffering persistent and substantial population decline, the policy is to accommodate anyone wishing to build a house, subject to normal planning and environmental considerations.
Since the publication of the current Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in 2005 (which continue to have effect in addition to subsequent clarifications and national policy changes in the NPF) there have been important changes to our planning system. Most notably, obligations under European Directives and international agreements relating to the management and protection of the environment and adapting to and mitigating climate change have become more central to the operation of the system.
As set out in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, we will publish a National Planning Statement that will set out relevant planning criteria to be applied in local authority development plans for rural housing, in order to provide clarity and consistency for rural housing within the planning system. The National Planning Statement for Rural Housing will be published in the second half of 2026, based on the high level policy framework set in the NPF.
The updated policy approach will expand on the high level spatial planning policy of the National Planning Framework (NPF), in particular on National Policy Objective (NPO) 28 which relates to rural housing. This objective makes a clear policy distinction between rural areas under urban influence (i.e. areas within the commuter catchment of cities, large towns and centres of employment) on the one hand, and structurally weaker rural areas where population levels may be low or declining, on the other. NPO 28 is also aligned with the established approach whereby considerations of social or economic need are to be applied by planning authorities in rural areas under urban influence.
While planning policy is a national, as opposed to an EU competence, due care is being taken to ensure the updated guidelines will not operate to conflict with fundamental EU freedoms, comply with EU environmental legislative requirements and have due regard to decisions of the European Court of Justice. The draft National Planning Statement will address these complex environmental and legal issues, while also providing a framework for the sustainable management of housing in rural areas.
Following the commencement of Chapter 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 in October 2025, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will review existing Guidelines with the intention of replacing them with National Planning Statements under Section 25 of the new Act of 2024.
In the interests of clarity, the current Ministerial Guidelines will continue to have effect under Section 27 of the Act of 2024 until such time as they are revoked or replaced by a National Planning Statement.
659. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the 'owner occupier guarantee', as set out in the Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Act 2021, and on the number of houses and duplexes that have been covered by the relevant provision of the Act. [3963/26]
View answerThe Government has implemented a range of measures in recent years to ensure a balanced housing market across all tenures, including home ownership, social and affordable housing, and private rental.
In May 2021, conscious of the need to increase stock for home ownership, the government introduced a series of measures designed to prevent the bulk buying of houses and duplexes. The Section 28 Guidelines for Planning Authorities “Regulation of Commercial Institutional Investment in Housing” aimed to prevent multiple housing and duplex units being sold to a single buyer.
These guidelines seek to provide an ‘owner-occupier’ guarantee by ensuring that new ‘own-door’ houses and duplex units in lower-density housing developments should no longer be bulk-purchased by institutional investors in a manner that causes the displacement of individual purchasers or social and affordable housing, including cost-rental. The measure does not apply to apartments or housing set to be provided for social or affordable purposes.
The Guidelines include requirements that a new form of condition be inserted in applicable new planning permissions, to the effect that:
(1) all houses would have to be made available for sale and for first occupation by separate, individual households for a period of years after completion of the home. (In the case of mixed developments, the provision only applies to the houses and duplex units);
(2) exempts housing to be provided for social or affordable purposes from this requirement; and
(3) if, after a period of two years, the local authority is satisfied that despite reasonable efforts, a market has not emerged, the condition will lapse.
These measures have succeeded in preventing the inappropriate bulk purchase of a very significant number of homes and securing those homes for purchase by homeowners, with planning permission granted for over 50,000 units with conditions prohibiting bulk purchase by, or multiple sale to, a single purchaser of those homes since May 2021.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Act 2021 provided that local authorities must ensure home ownership as a tenure type is provided for and estimated in their respective housing strategies. To this end, the Act introduces the principle of home ownership as a specific tenure type in a local authority housing strategy, with particular regard to developments of houses and duplexes, and gives further effect to the Section 28 Guidelines issued in 2021.
660. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); his views on the merits of amending existing first-time buyer supports in such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3982/26]
View answerWith reference to the circumstances outlined in the details supplied with this Question, while the individual in this case may not have access to the First Homes Scheme as a result of having had a beneficial interest in the property, they may be able to avail of other affordable supports including the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan.
The eligibility requirements for the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme (LAAPS) are set out in section 10 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021. Section 10(2)(b) & (c) specifies that it is a requirement that “none of the persons making the application has previously purchased or built a dwelling in the State” and “none of the persons making the application owns, or is beneficially entitled to an estate or interest in, any dwelling in the State or elsewhere.” This individual may, therefore, be able to access this Scheme if they meet the other eligibility criteria. Further information can be found here: affordablehomes.ie/affordable-purchase/about/.
This individual may also be able to avail of the Local Authority Home Loan provided they meet the other eligibility criteria of that loan. The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government-backed mortgage for first-time buyers and certain other credit-worthy applicants, who have been refused a mortgage or have been offered insufficient mortgage offers through a regular mortgage lender. The loan is for the purchase of new or second-hand residential properties and for self-builds. The Local Authority Home Loan is available nationwide from all local authorities. More information on the Local Authority Home Loan is available at the following link: localauthorityhomeloan.ie/.
This individual may also be able to apply for other affordable housing supports, that are not restricted to first-time buyers, including the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant and Cost Rental. Further information, is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/0d279-doors-open/.
The Help to Buy incentive is an initiative of Revenue and the Department of Finance, and does not come under the remit of my Department. Revenue and the Department of Finance should be contacted in relation to that scheme’s operation. Revenue can be contacted at the following link: www.revenue.ie/en/contact-us/index.aspx.
661. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Callan Thomastown local electoral area, County Kilkenny; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in the LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in this LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3993/26]
View answer662. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Castlecomer local electoral area, County Kilkenny; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in that LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in that LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3994/26]
View answer663. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Piltown local electoral area, County Kilkenny; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in that LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in that LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3995/26]
View answer664. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Kilkenny City local electoral area, County Kilkenny; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in that LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in that LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3996/26]
View answer665. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Muine Bheag local electoral area, County Carlow; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in that LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in that LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3997/26]
View answer666. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Tullow local electoral area, County Carlow; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in that LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in that LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3998/26]
View answer667. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average price of a new home in the Carlow town local electoral area, County Carlow; the number of successful applications under the first home scheme in that LEA in 2025; the number of affordable homes provided in that LEA in 2025; the number that currently are being planned; the projected completion dates in that LEA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3999/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666 and 667 together.
Government is fully committed to delivering housing at scale and continuing to accelerate housing supply across all tenures. To this end, affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy, as embodied within the new housing plan - Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025 – 2030.
Under this new housing plan, the supports established under the previous plan - Housing for All - will be retained, streamlined and expanded to form a Starter Homes Programme, which will ensure that first time buyers and renters in need of support will continue to be supported by the State.
Kilkenny has seen over 100 affordable housing supports delivered in 2025 under the First Home Scheme (37 homes), the Vacant Homes Refurbishment Grant (69 homes) and the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ Scheme (1 home).
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics, on a quarterly basis ,of affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and other delivery partners. Delivery data up to end Q3 2025 is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
Kilkenny County Council has submitted an affordable purchase scheme application to my Department, which is currently under assessment, with the potential to deliver 37 new homes. My Department will continue to engage with all delivery partners to further the development of the affordable housing delivery pipeline in Kilkenny.
In order to continue to drive the delivery of affordable housing, all local authorities will prepare new Housing Delivery Action Plans (HDAPs), replacing plans made under Housing for All. HDAPs will set out how the Starter Homes Programme will be implemented within each administrative area. This development of HDAPs will be undertaken in collaboration with delivery partners, including the Land Development Agency and Approved Housing Bodies and will be informed by local needs, taking account of the requirement to provide the right mix of homes within their area.
In terms of the price of new build homes, house prices are varied, and are determined by a number of factors including location, build type and density, among others. The Central Statistics Office publishes mean and median new house prices by Eircode monthly (or as applicable), with the current average (median) new house price in Kilkenny City, Castlecomer and Callan Thomastown indicated as €431,300 (Oct '25).
Current market conditions are taken into consideration when planning for the delivery of affordable purchase and rental schemes. Scheme criteria and support levels for affordable purchase schemes are kept under regular review, taking account of developments in the housing market.
668. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of applicants for the defective concrete block grant scheme in each county in which the scheme is operational; the progress of each applicant though each stage of the scheme; the number of applicants who have drawn down payments at each stage; the number of applicants who have fully drawn down their full grant in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4044/26]
View answerThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.
The table under provide details in respect of the Defective Concrete Block Grant (DCB) schemes to 31 December 2025. The total grant amount recouped to the five designated local authorities under the scheme from the period 2020 to date, amounts to approximately €245.1m.
Summary of Statistics for DCB Gant Scheme to 31 Dec 2025
|
- |
Clare |
Donegal |
Limerick |
Mayo |
Sligo |
Total |
|
Number of Applications (both schemes) |
179 |
2416 |
73 |
457 |
10 |
3135 |
|
Applications Received for Previous Scheme |
N/A |
1296 |
N/A |
348 |
N/A |
1644 |
|
Applications Received for Current Scheme |
179 |
1120 |
73 |
109 |
10 |
1491 |
|
Applications Approved to Stage 1 from Previous Scheme |
N/A |
849 |
N/A |
332 |
N/A |
1181 |
|
Applications Refused or Withdrawn from Previous Scheme |
N/A |
3 |
N/A |
3 |
N/A |
6 |
|
Applications from Previous Scheme Referred to Housing Agency for Damage Threshold Determination |
N/A |
412 |
N/A |
17 |
N/A |
429 |
|
Transitional Applications - Damage Threshold Determination met |
N/A |
396 |
N/A |
14 |
N/A |
410 |
|
Transitional Applications - Damage Threshold Determination not met |
N/A |
10 |
N/A |
3 |
N/A |
13 |
|
Applications Refused or Withdrawn from Current Scheme |
0 |
74 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
78 |
|
New Applications Referred to Housing Agency under Scheme for Damage Threshold Determination |
178 |
1024 |
68 |
115 |
9 |
1394 |
|
New Applications - Damage Threshold Determination met under Scheme |
176 |
898 |
68 |
101 |
9 |
1252 |
|
New Applications - Damage Threshold Determination not met under Scheme |
1 |
11 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
14 |
|
Applications sent by Housing Agency for Sample Testing and Assessment |
141 |
803 |
43 |
82 |
5 |
1074 |
|
Number of Remedial Options/Grants Determined by Housing Agency |
71 |
709 |
25 |
24 |
0 |
829 |
|
Transitional Applications - Number of Remedial Options/Grants Determined by Local Authorities |
N/A |
665 |
N/A |
280 |
N/A |
945 |
|
Applicants who submitted Remedial Works Plans (both schemes) |
22 |
932 |
5 |
277 |
0 |
1236 |
|
Applicants who Commenced Work (both schemes) |
17 |
829 |
0 |
263 |
0 |
1109 |
|
Applicants who Completed Remediation Works (both schemes) |
3 |
260 |
0 |
130 |
0 |
393 |
|
Applicants who have been issued Letters of Assurance |
0 |
97 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
101 |
669. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when homeowners who have spent money since March 2024 under the defective concrete block grant scheme will be reimbursed up to the new maximum cap, following the passing of recent legislation. [4081/26]
View answer674. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Act 2025 will be enacted; when those who have been affected can expect to receive an increased allocation under the Act; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4315/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 669 and 674 together.
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (the Act) commenced on 22 June 2023 which contains the current grant scheme and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.
The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 was initiated in Dáil Eireann on 2 December 2025, passed both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President, thereby becoming an Act, on the 23 December 2025.
The 2025 amendments make provision for the 2024 increases in the Scheme cap and rates to apply to a wider group of relevant owners, along with a number of technical amendments to ensure equity and efficient administration of the Scheme. The related Regulations will be adopted as soon as possible and provide for all matters within the Act which require to be prescribed and will provide the finer detail around how the amendments will operate in the scheme. A date for commencement of the new provisions of the amended Act will also be set as soon as possible.
670. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No.1390 of 13 December 2025, to provide a breakdown of the value of grants paid for the purpose of renovating rental properties in 2023, 2024 and data available to date for 2025, by county and by month, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4152/26]
View answer679. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of Croí Cónaithe grant applications for each local authority for each of the past three years; the number per county; the number of these grants per county that were successful; the number of grants that have been successfully drawn down; the total value of these drawn down grants per county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4411/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 670 and 679 together.
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, funded under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund, 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 applications for 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 Q3 2025 grant statistics were published on 17 October 2025. This data can be accessed at the following link: Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/vacant-property-refurbishment-grant-statistics/#2025).
A breakdown of the value of grants paid out for the purpose of refurbishing vacant or derelict properties to be made available for rent is provided in tabular form in the attached word document. My Department does not hold a record of such properties per county, therefore the breakdown is provided per local authority.
671. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the scheme to address defects in apartments and duplexes; to outline the current status of the proposed statutory remediation scheme which is being developed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4271/26]
View answerGovernment approval was received on 18 September 2024 for the priority drafting of the Apartment and Duplex Defects Remediation Bill. The purpose of this legislation is to place the defects remediation Scheme on a statutory footing, further to commitments contained in the Programme for Government and Housing for All.
The Scheme will provide supports for the remediation of relevant fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose-built apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013. It is envisaged that 100% of eligible remediation costs will be funded under the Scheme.
The General Scheme of the Bill completed pre-legislative scrutiny in December 2025 and I expect the legislation to be placed before the Oireachtas this year.
