Vacant and derelict properties
Deputy Bacik welcomed help for renovating derelict homes but argued more was needed to tackle vacancy and urban decay. The Minister pointed to falling vacancy levels, dedicated local officers and ongoing government action.
Today's announcement that local authority home loans will be extended to people renovating derelict properties is welcome and, may I say, overdue. However, it is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to tackling vacancy and dereliction. Unfortunately, the Government has simply not been doing enough to ensure not just that we see more homes provided for people but also a halt to urban decay and to the scourge of vacancy and dereliction across our communities. Tomorrow, the Seanad will debate a motion brought forward by Labour Senators setting out a pathway to transform vacant and derelict sites into homes. There is something the Government can do right away on this. The Government can act much more quickly and effectively to clean up its own house, literally. We learned last month through parliamentary questions that the HSE is sitting on thousands of empty properties. The OPW is also in possession of a portfolio of empty sites. More replies to parliamentary questions confirmed that Irish Rail is sitting on nearly 120 empty cottages across the country. The Government has failed to prevent the hoarding of vacant properties by the State
Comment on this
Will the Minister mandate a more robust audit of State-owned properties to ensure these can be brought back into use?
Comment on this
The Government has noted the Labour Party's Seanad motion to be taken tomorrow. It is a constructive motion, and we look forward to engaging on it. There are varying levels of vacancy indicated from different data sources but the overall trend now is downwards and vacancy levels are decreasing. All 31 local authorities now have a full-time dedicated vacant homes officer funded by the Government through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As the Deputy rightly said, today the Government, on the recommendation of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, significantly expanded the vacant homes refurbishment grant, the Croí Cónaithe scheme, because the scheme is now oversubscribed, which is an encouraging sign. In the context of the public bodies to which the Deputy referred, I will ask the Minister to communicate with her directly on the matter.