Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Dereliction is a disease. It is insidious. It destroys communities. Nothing saps the confidence of a town like dilapidated, derelict, dangerous buildings. Vacancy unchecked is the gateway to dereliction. There are nearly 2,000 derelict sites in Ireland, and they are just the ones that have been recorded and have made it onto the derelict sites register. There is an acute situation in my home town of Drogheda. Just three weeks ago, an important 18th century building was about to fall down. The street has since been closed and neighbouring businesses have lost trade. Properties that used to host shops and homes are falling and collapsing around Ireland as we speak. This problem is not exclusive to my home town. It is a national disgrace and a national solution is required.

It is telling that the national planning framework mentions dereliction just twice. The Derelict Sites Act 1990 is just not fit for purpose. The Tánaiste's Minister for housing, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, admitted that in 2021 when he set up a working group to change the Act. The working group has met on just three occasions since 2021 and still has not reported. Why is that the case? The Derelict Sites Act is a rogue developers' charter. It has allowed dodgy developers to erect hoarding around obviously derelict buildings just to screen them from public view, thereby complying with the Act. This is just crazy, absolutely bonkers. These errant developers are literally giving the two fingers to citizens across the country, and to councils as well.

If you own a property that you can afford to let go to rack and ruin, you are obviously rich. The only language that some people understand is money. These people need to be hit hard in the pockets. Revenue needs to be given the power to collect derelict site levies. Owners that dodge the councils and the District Court need to be the responsibility of the Revenue Commissioners. Give these people tax compliance problems instead. Hit their businesses. The Derelict Sites Act needs to be streamlined. It needs to be made easier for councils to acquire derelict buildings before they become dangerous. The Tánaiste will agree there is an environmental imperative to recover important buildings in our town centres and put back them into use before we develop new ones. I know the Tánaiste is going to talk to me about the Croí Cónaithe scheme. It is piecemeal, a sticking-plaster solution, that is all, as is the deficient town centre first programme. Despite my calls over many years, the living cities initiative tax relief has not been extended to towns like Drogheda.

Will the Tánaiste, please, put a rocket under the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien ,and get him to publish the report of the Derelict Sites Act working group? Will he amend the Act and make the definition of dereliction stronger, more robust and more effective? Will he streamline the compulsory purchase process and introduce compulsory sale orders, for example, like they have in Scotland? Will he staff up councils to properly allow them to fully enforce the laws that are in place? Will he give the Revenue Commissioners the legal power to collect levies?

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