Minister must allocate more for housing

By Maurice Garvey

DESPITE South Dublin County having the lowest number of vacant dwellings by local authority in the country – Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin urges measures in the Housing Agency Vacant Homes Paper to be implemented to tackle the housing crisis.

According to CSO census figures, vacant houses in South Dublin County marginally dropped – from 5,000 to nearly 4,000 vacant homes.

However, with 9,000 families on the council housing waiting list and over 200 households homeless in the county, Ó Broin says the numbers still reflect a “shocking figures.”

Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson said: “In SDCC area there are 3,923 vacant properties. Private sector rents remain unacceptably high and affordable housing is a dream for many.

“The Housing Agency Vacant Homes Paper published in May this year recommended a number of measures to incentivise and force owners to bring these units back into use – including refurbishment grants, compulsory purchase orders and a vacant property tax.”

A member of the cross-party Homelessness Committee, Ó Broin says it endorsed the paper and recommend government developing a two-year strategy for local authorities to carry out audits on empty homes and devise “clear objectives.”

Deputy Ó Broin said: “SDCC is already using compulsory acquisition powers to bring some vacant sites back into use. However, the Minister for Housing must allocate more to the council to allow them to acquire a greater number of these units.”