Mr. Billy Coman:

Regarding vacant units and voids, it is important to recall that between 2014 and 2015, 5,000 units throughout the country were brought back into stock and tenanted through a programme, with financial assistance from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Nobody wants to see voids in their area. Some local authorities are very good at managing that for a number of reasons but, unfortunately, a small number of local authorities struggle with it for a variety of reasons unique to those areas. Quick turnaround is important, and the turnaround has improved greatly across all the local authorities nationally.

In terms of anti-social behaviour, voids tend to be a magnet for anti-social behaviour because they are a gathering point. For that reason, every effort is made to bring those back into tenancy where at all possible. There are greater powers resting with local authorities to deal with anti-social behaviour. There is a whole process attached to it in terms of warning letters, rights of appeal and so on, but at least it is a streamlined process that everyone can follow.