According to the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government – Eoghan Murphy – the number of homes brought back into use under the Repair and Lease Scheme (RLS) across the country between 2017 and 2018 was 89.

His sentiments were expressed in a statement to the Dail after deputy Darragh O’Brien asked him how many homes were brought back into use during that period under the scheme.

O’Brien also queried the number of applications and the overall expenditure in respect of the matter.

Meanwhile, the largest number of homes brought back into use was in Waterford where, in 2017, six homes were refurbished under the scheme while a further 35 were enhanced and improved in 2018.

In a written answer to the Dail on Thursday, April 18, the minister said that at the end of 2018 a total of 1,260 applications under RLS had been received from property owners.

89 homes were brought back into use and were tenanted while 132 agreements for lease were signed.

He continued: “A detailed breakdown of the RLS scheme data by local authorities up to end Q4 2018 is available on my department’s website. The data for Q1 2019 is currently being collected and will be published on my department’s website when it is available.”

Minister Murphy went on to say that total expenditure for 2017 was €226,574 while €1,893,502 million was spent under the scheme in 2018.

The table above highlights the areas in the country where RLS was utilised during 2017 and 2018.