An independent TD has said that vacant homes in towns and villages should be refurbished and utilised in an effort to tackle the housing shortage in the country.

Galway East Dáil representative, Seán Canney said the housing supply crisis is a "difficult issue", but the government is "missing out on an opportunity by refusing to recognise the potential" to bring vacant houses back into use.

“Every town and village has properties which are boarded up for many years; they are a blight on the streetscapes. The 2016 census reported that 245,460 dwellings were vacant in the country," the deputy said.

According to the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), 75% of all floor space above ground floor retail space in Dublin city is empty.

Deputy Canney said this raises the question as to why this is happening in a time of such shortage of housing.

The Galway-based TD said the main obstacles include:

Deputy Canney said that he believes there are solutions which will help in the short-term.

“In my view, we will rejuvenate the towns and villages and make the centre of towns and villages living spaces," deputy Canney said.

"We can sit back and allow the foreign investment funds buy up our new housing stock or we can fight back to ensure first-time buyers have every opportunity to own their home and have security for their families," he concluded.