Sinn Féin TD for Longford-Westmeath Sorca Clarke has called on the Government to take urgent action over HSE-owned buildings that have remained vacant for more than a year.

The call comes after figures provided to Deputy Clarke in response to a Parliamentary Question showed that 120 HSE-owned buildings across 76 property sites being considered for disposal have been vacant for more than 12 months.

The figures show that 30 vacant buildings are located in Dublin, 19 in Cork and 11 in Westmeath.

A further 108 HSE-owned buildings are classified as Retained Assets across 63 separate property sites.

Teachta Clarke said: "These figures are deeply concerning. At a time when families are struggling to find affordable housing and communities are crying out for investment in local health services, it is unacceptable that dozens of publicly owned buildings are sitting empty for more than a year.

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"Dublin alone has 30 HSE-owned buildings that have been vacant for more than 12 months. There are a further 19 in Cork and 11 in Westmeath. These are public assets, and the Government has a responsibility to ensure they are put to productive use.

"The HSE says it is engaging with the Land Development Agency, the Department of Housing, local authorities and other State bodies as part of an all-of-Government approach to increasing housing stock.

"But engagement is not enough. People need to see these properties brought back into use much faster than the current speed.

"Where these buildings are genuinely surplus to healthcare requirements, the Government needs to move at pace to determine whether they can be converted into housing, community facilities or other services that are badly needed locally.

"The Government says it is doing all it can to increase housing supply while publicly owned buildings sit vacant for years. The State must make better use of the assets it already owns.

"I am calling on the Minister for Health to publish a clear plan for each of these long-term vacant properties, including the intended future use, the timeframe for action and whether the property can contribute to housing delivery.

"Public land and buildings belong to the public. They should be working for communities, not sitting empty."