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______________________________________________
For Oral Answer on : 22/10/2024
Question Number(s): 82,440,441 Question Reference(s): 42941/, 42960/24
Department: Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Asked by: David Stanton T.D., Colm Burke T.D.
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QUESTION

* To ask the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant property refurbishment grant applications received to date by each local authority; the number processed and approved; and the most recent figures his Department has on the number of vacant properties per local authority, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

– David Stanton T.D.

For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 22 October, 2024.

* To ask the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage if consideration could be given to the introduction of a grant that covers the safe removal and disposal of asbestos from houses in view that the cost of renovating properties with asbestos leads to these houses remaining derelict and or creates unsuitable living conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

– Colm Burke T.D.

For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 22 October, 2024.

 

REPLY

Tackling vacancy is a key priority for this Government.

The Vacant Homes Action Plan, which I published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 of Housing for All and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. Earlier this year I published an update on the Action Plan which shows the significant progress that is being made.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, introduced in July 2022 under the Croí Cónaithe Towns Fund,  supports bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes. A grant of up to €50,000 is available for the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as a principal private residence and for properties which will be made available for rent.

 

Where the refurbishment costs are expected to exceed the standard grant of up to €50,000, a top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available where the property is confirmed by the applicant to be derelict or where the property is already on the local authority’s Derelict Sites Register, bringing the total grant available for a derelict property up to a maximum of €70,000.

The grant is available in respect of vacant and derelict properties built prior to 2008, in towns, villages, cities and rural areas. Properties considered for inclusion must be vacant for two years or more at the time of application with evidence supporting this required as part of the grant application.

A list of the categories of works eligible for grant assistance is provided in the scheme outline and grant application form. Works carried out relating to the removal of asbestos can be undertaken under the category of ‘Demolitions / Strip-outs / Site Clearance including removal of hazardous materials’.

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2006-2010 are the remit of the Minister of Enterprise Trade and Employment. These apply to all work activities which expose persons to risks arising from the inhalation of dust from asbestos or asbestos containing materials. The Regulations apply to all workplaces (including domestic construction work) where there is a risk of asbestos exposure during the course of work activities and it is the responsibility of the building owner to comply with all relevant legislation. Further information is available here:

 

https://www.hsa.ie/eng/your_industry/chemicals/legislation_enforcement/asbestos/legislation_and_guidance/asbestos_legislation/

My Department publishes data on number of applications for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant on its website on a quarterly basis. The Q3 2024 statistics were published on Monday, 21 October and can be accessed at the following link:


gov.ie – Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant statistics (www.gov.ie)

 

The most common reasons for unsuccessful grant applications include failing to submit a complete application or being unable to satisfy the eligibility criteria.

In relation to the number of vacant properties, data is available from a number of sources such as Census and GeoDirectory publications. More recently the CSO has developed an indicator of residential vacancy using electricity consumption data and my Department has engaged with the CSO in relation to this indicator. While varying levels and rates of vacancy are indicated in the different data sources, the overall trend is downwards and vacancy levels are reducing.

A Vacancy Survey project, to be undertaken by local authorities, supported by my Department, commenced in December 2022. Its objective is to provide local authorities with a database of vacant and derelict properties in their administrative area, which they can update on an ongoing basis and use to engage with property owners to bring them back into use as homes.