274. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of people employed in the vacant homes unit in his Department in each of the past five years, by grade. [54180/26]

The Government's Housing Strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, places a strong emphasis on the value of working collaboratively to deal with vacancy.  Vacant and derelict buildings harm communities and waste opportunities for new homes. Bringing these properties back into use is essential for sustainable housing close to local services and amenities. Government has introduced a range of schemes - such as the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, planning exemptions for converting commercial space, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Repair and Lease Scheme - that are already turning thousands of empty properties into homes.

While staff in a number of Divisions of my Department are engaged on aspects of policy, legislation and delivery to support tackling vacancy, a dedicated unit has also been established. The Unit oversees, drives and supports the co-ordinated approach to addressing vacancy and efficient use of existing stock in the context of the Vacant Homes Action Plan,  Towns Centre First Policy and other relevant policies.  It is responsible for delivery of key actions e.g. development of schemes under the Croí Cónaithe Towns fund and supports their delivery by the Local Authorities. The Unit supports the work of Vacant Homes Officers (VHOs) across the Local Authorities, supports capture of data on vacancy which can be used to activate properties, informs development and delivery of policies and schemes addressing vacancy and supports local authorities in the implementation of the CPO Activation Programme and reports on same. It liaises within the Department, and engages and works with local authorities, the Housing Agency and other stakeholders in addressing vacancy. There are now Vacant Homes Officers in each of the 31 local authorities, funded by my Department.

The information as requested is detailed in the table below: