I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which he consistently does. The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site as defined in the Act. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site. Each local authority maintains a derelict sites register under section 8 of the Act for sites which they consider are derelict under the Act. Sites entered on the derelict sites register are subject to an annual derelict sites levy of 7% of market value, which will continue to apply until the site is rendered non-derelict. However, the placing of sites on the register and the collecting of levies on those sites are part of the overall process that local authorities undertake with the owners of derelict sites they identify. Local authorities will engage directly with site owners to try to bring these sites back into productive use and out of dereliction before they are formally listed on the register. This direct engagement can often lead to those units being brought back into productive use, which is what we all want. Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act in their functional areas. The derelict sites returns are collected in quarter 2 of the following year so my Department is still collating the 2024 returns and will publish them shortly. I propose to circulate with the Official Report a tabular statement setting out the information requested regarding the 2023 returns.
Sentiment score: 0.20
The Deputy does not have to shout in order to make his points. We can all make valid points without shouting across the Chamber at one another. It is true to say that dereliction is a really important issue. It is not one that local authorities or Government are ignoring. The Deputy knows full well because we both sat on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage all of the measures that are in place to assist those. They include the vacant property refurbishment grant, buy and renew, repair and lease and CPO. The Government provided local authorities with €150 million to allow them to CPO properties. We do need to see more local authorities activating such sites and they do have obligations in this respect. Where levies are levied, when the unit is ultimately disposed of, those moneys are collected by the local authority. There is an onus on local authorities to place properties on the register. The Deputy should not dismiss that. The approach involves using the carrot and the stick. What we all want in this Chamber is to see those units brought back into productive use.
Sentiment score: 0.14
As I said, the Government has put in place a number of schemes to empower local authorities on the exact thing the Deputy just mentioned. There is a revolving fund through URDF call 3 for the compulsory purchase of properties. It is true that some local authorities are doing better than others. We want to mainstream best practice across all local authorities. There are also other schemes such as repair and lease, buy and renew and the vacant property refurbishment grant, which are all there to be able to activate those properties. Where they are not being activated, yes, the stick of the CPO and of the derelict sites register has to be applied by local authorities. I do not disagree with the Deputy on that. Of course, they are there to be used. What we all want is for those units to be brought back into productive use. If engagement with the owner of those properties and availing of some of the other schemes does that, that is great; if it does not and we use the CPO or the Derelict Sites Act then so be it.
Sentiment score: 0.27