The large number of properties left lying empty across the Irish Republic are to be tacked with a new initiative - providing a modest boost for the construction sector at the same time as helped the homeless.

The Irish Minister for Housing and Planning, Willie Penrose, has published a report on tackling vacant local authority houses.

The report, the latest in a series of reviews produced by the Value for Money Unit of the Local Government Audit Service, is the culmination of an examination of local authorities' management of their vacant stock.

The Local Government Audit Service, of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, is responsible for the external audit of all local authorities.

The report noted that over the period 2007 and 2008, the level of vacant properties varied between 5.2% and 5.75% (6,115 and 7,045 units) of the total stock of approximately 120,000.

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The reasons behind these vacancies varied between casual vacancies and those that needed major refurbishment.

The Minister noted the timely nature of the report, which included a number of key recommendations, stating: "In these challenging economic times with less funding available to build or buy new houses, bringing these vacant units back into use should be our highest priority."

While the report noted the challenges faced by local authorities in letting properties in unattractive locations, in a time of constrained budgets, and following anti-social behaviour, it does make a number of recommendations for the improvement in the process.

The recommendations ranged from the roll out of the term maintenance and refurbishment works contract type to all local authorities involved in such works, to property inspections prior to taking vacant possession and greater involvement with tenants and community associations.

The recommendations include a fillip for the building trade with a roll out of the term maintenance and refurbishment works contract type and timely inspections (pre-vacancy) and comprehensive inspections pre-works to ensure works are appropriately scoped out and costed as well as greater investment in tenancy training and tenancy support is needed.

(BMcC)