Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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61. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the expertise grants that are available to advise owners bringing vacant traditional houses back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36927/24]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking Question No. 61 on behalf of Michael McGrath. I ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage about the expertise grants that are available to advise owners bringing vacant traditional houses back into use, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The conservation advice grant scheme funds two thirds of the cost of hiring an expert conservation professional, up to a maximum of €5,000 to advise on the repairs necessary to bring vacant traditional buildings back into residential use. It is expected that many grant recipients will go on to avail of the vacant property refurbishment grant to help pay for the costs of the works. The scheme targets an important and historically neglected part of our building stock in towns and rural areas - one that is really important to me in terms of the much older heritage building stock, in which I see immense potential - and helping to preserve and enhance the character and immunity of these places, while at the same time contributing to our efforts to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

Owners of traditional buildings often undertake renovation works without appropriate conservation advice and, as a result, may use inappropriate materials which damage the historic fabric of a building and impair its proper function. There are different performance and functions of these older buildings, such as breathability and all of these elements. Sometimes putting in the wrong interventions, such as PVC windows, can have a really detrimental impact on these buildings. Such poor-quality interventions could cause a loss of historic character, as well as long-term problems such as damp and mould, which may be costly to remedy. It is hoped that these outcomes can be avoided through a timely provision of excellent advice. This year, 69 grants have been paid out under the scheme, which highlights its success, to a total value of €290,000.

We hope to further develop and enhance the scheme in 2025 so that more owners can be supported to invest appropriately in these historic buildings, which can contribute much to both the value both as family homes and cherished features of our urban and rural landscapes, particularly the pattern of our historic towns and villages, much of which has been lost. I see it particularly across the west and right across the country, where we are losing many of these really beautiful buildings. They could be brought into productive use, but they have to be done in a way that is appropriate to their heritage aspects.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State will realise the issue for many of the properties we are speaking about. While the grant is a welcome contribution to getting the professional advice for it, in some instances, depending on the property and the age of the property, the grant itself does not cover the financial cost of getting proper conservation officers. The Minister of State alluded to this in his contribution in relation to different types of windows etc. that would have a detrimental effect on the actual structure of the building.

While rolling this out to 2025, it is also important to look at the applications that were made and study them. I would hazard a guess that in each and every one of the applications that were made, the professional advice they received was well in excess of €5,000. That kind of advice is costly, but of course, it is hugely rewarding to make sure that the property is brought back. Many people to whom I speak who are engaging in it find the cost prohibitive. If the proper advice was given, maybe the overall cost could be reduced. It is important that we look at the scheme.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy. It covers two thirds of the cost of hiring the conservation professional, but that advice could be critical in saving a building and ensuring that the right approach is taken. Certainly, over the longer term, it will ultimately save the owner money. There is a huge amount of traditional conservation expertise out there. We have a lack of conservation officers in our local authorities. Their recognition within the local government system needs to be looked at and that is something I am looking at with the Heritage Council in terms of rolling out architectural conservation officers, ACOs, to every local authority in the country. We need to have full heritage services in our local authorities.

This is a hugely important piece of work. If we look at the number of 19th century buildings and early 20th century buildings across our housing stock right across the country, there is huge potential for these buildings to be restored and brought back into productive use, but the advice needs to be correct. We also have a technical guidance document to support the restoration. I see both of these things as hugely important in trying to bring these buildings back into productive use.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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That and the vacant property grant have been a seachange in terms of the way young couples in rural Ireland in particular look at older properties when a short number of years ago they were not being looked at all regarding the possibility of being renovated.

Right across the north Cork and the Duhallow regions, the uptake has been hugely positive, it has brought stock back in, as have the SEAI grants. It is important that the expertise grants, the vacant property grants and the SEAI grants continue as they help young people to get homes of their own in their own communities. It also ensures that our rural communities remain vibrant into the future and that young families are setting up there as well. All of these grants are therefore vitally important. It is also vitally important that they are assessed and strengthened as we go forward.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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Again, I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy in relation to this. There is no doubt the opportunities that lie out there are immense. A couple I know in Kilkenny was going to put a bulldozer to one these buildings until the grant scheme came into place and they are now delighted that they have renovated it. I want to see more families doing that. I want to see more people doing that, particularly in our towns and villages where there is an immense amount of 19th century stock that could be brought back into use.

There is another element to it, which is the area of traditional skills. Again, I have been working on this with the Heritage Council. There is a lack of significant skills, such as joinery, masonry and in other skills that are needed to bring these beautiful houses back into use. That is something we need to ramp up over the next number of years to ensure we have sufficient skills right across the country to meet the requirements of families who want to do up these houses.

The conservation grant is an important component of it. The technical advice document that our Department launched earlier this year is an important component for conservation professionals. Separately, I would love to see more and more families take up the opportunities that are out there, particularly in our towns and villages across the country.