Sligo and Letterkenny have been announced as a number of new towns that will be able to avail of a scheme to tackle dereliction next year.

The Living City Initiative, in place for areas like Cork and Dublin, will now be enacted in Sligo, Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk and Letterkenny.

The scheme provides targeted tax incentives to encourage investment and bring vacant or underused buildings back into use.

Tanaiste Simon Harris says they want to expand their scheme as quickly as they can: