Fianna Fáil has proposed the introduction of an Empty Property Grant Scheme.

The party's aim is to encourage owners to lease properties to Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) or rent directly to tenants nominated by Local Authorities on long-term leases.

Spokesperson on Housing Barry Cowen TD said the Government needs to prioritise refurbishing vacant units to boost the supply of available accommodation to help tackle the homeless crisis.

He made the comments after the latest figures revealed there has been a 50% increase in the number of people who are homeless between December 2015 and December 2016. There are currently 4,643 adults registered as homeless along with 1,205 homeless families including 2,505 children.

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He said: "Minister Coveney needs to show a greater commitment to implementing meaningful policies that will impact the dysfunctional housing market. The priority must be focused on returning vacant spaces back into use as accommodation. For example, there are an estimated 4,000 vacant units in Dublin City alone that could be refurbished or converted to use as housing for both social, affordable and private housing

"It is worrying that Minister Coveney appears almost unaware of the scale of the vacant housing problem affecting the country. The 'natural' vacant rate in urban areas usually stands at 5%. However, this figure ranges between 10 – 15% in Dublin, Galway, Waterford and Carlow. It again demonstrates how dysfunctional the housing market currently is.

"We need a suite of policy measures to reduce the vacancy rate in these areas to help tackle the homeless crisis."

(CD/LM)