86. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the supports made available by his Department to address rural vacancy and dereliction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55943/25]

Sentiment score: 0.00

I thank the Minister for his response. While I appreciate the great work of the Department in supporting rural communities and the great work that both the Minister and the Minister of State are doing, vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages remains a real concern. I appreciate that the Department of housing is the main Department tasked with tackling this problem but it is important for Departments to continue to engage directly with each other on vacancy and dereliction in order to properly address it, to actively encourage footfall and to drive local economies. I acknowledge that the Department's rural regeneration and development fund plays a major role in this regard. It encourages the reuse of vacant, derelict and heritage buildings. Given its importance, is the Minister considering any expansion of the RRDF?

Sentiment score: 0.54

I thank the Minister for the rural regeneration and development funding for Fermoy. It was very welcome and I thank both the Minister and the Minister of State for their support on that. While several factors contribute to rural vacancy and dereliction, one important issue is the lack of community facilities which may discourage people from moving to a particular area. In this context, what work is the Department doing to encourage the establishment of rural community halls or facilities in existing vacant or derelict buildings?

Sentiment score: 0.30