109. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the action being taken to tackle vacancy and dereliction. [69285/26]

Working to end vacancy and dereliction is a key priority in the Government's housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities.

One of the key measures in the plan is the delivery of 20,000 homes through the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. As committed to in the Plan, the Grant has been expanded and extended to 2030. A Vacant Above the Shop Grant and an Expert Advice Grant have also been launched, providing additional support of up to €140,000 to owners of these buildings to support bringing vacant above shop space into residential use.

The Derelict Sites Act 1990 continues to be an important statutory tool for local authorities in addressing dereliction. To strengthen the approach and work towards ending dereliction, a new Derelict Property Tax was announced in Budget 2026. The tax will be collected by the Revenue Commissioners, and I expect it will be included in this year's Finance Bill.

My Department provides annual funding to each local authority to reinforce their capacity and focus on vacancy and dereliction. Vacant Homes Officers are in place in each local authority, playing a vital role in working with property owners and promoting the wide range of schemes in place.

The CPO Activation Programme supports a proactive approach by local authorities to identifying vacant and derelict properties, and engaging with owners to bring those properties into use. The Programme includes active use of compulsory purchase powers where engagement with owners is not successful.

The Programme is supported by Call 3 of the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund. Call 3 provides a revolving fund of €150 million to support local authorities to acquire long-term vacant or derelict properties in eligible towns and cities.

Cabinet recently approved revisions to the Repair and Lease Scheme to simplify the rules on property ownership and direct local authorities to prioritise the delivery of studio and promote one.  My Department will issue a circular to local authorities very shortly to notify them of these changes.

These measures and more are working. While there are different data sources and definitions, the overall trend in vacancy levels is downwards.

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