Eleven HSE buildings in Westmeath left idle for more than a year
Sinn Féin TD for Longford-Westmeath, Sorca Clarke, has called on the Government to urgently address the large number of HSE-owned buildings that have been left vacant, including 11 in Westmeath have been vacant for longer than 12 months.
The figures were given in response to Parliamentary Question received by Deputy Clarke, which confirms that 120 HSE-owned buildings across 76 property sites that are in disposal have been vacant for more than 12 months.
There are an additional 108 buildings that are considered as Retained Assets across 63 unique property site locations.
Teachta Clarke said the 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."
Clarke highlighted that a total of 30 HSE-owned buildings that have been vacant for more than 12 months in Dublin, as well as 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."
She called on teh Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to publish a clear plan for each of the vacant properties, noting that they "should be working for communities, not sitting empty".
“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."