Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have three brief questions. Deputy Ellis raised the powers of the local authorities to serve compulsory purchase orders under the compulsory purchase orders and the derelict sites Acts. The Minister has stated that funding is not an issue in addressing these problems. It most certainly is in the case of CPOs and the derelict sites legislation because the local authorities have to fund that process from their own resources. They do not have the resources because they are not adequately resourced to deal with derelict sites let alone to have the personnel or the finance for inspections of properties or HAP properties that the Minister states are working well. That is the problem.

In regard to the repair and lease scheme, how many successful applications have been approved? If the figure is as low as has been quoted recently - that is eight such application were successful nationally - surely the Minister now knows why the scheme has failed? It has failed because of the cumbersome planning certification and regulations associated with the reinstatement or refurbishment of older buildings. Hence the reason I would expect, as the Minister intimated, that he might support the Fianna Fáil Party Bill next week, which would seek to address that issue.

Senator Boyhan raised an issue on the legislation to fast track large developments through An Bord Pleanála. The legislation was enacted by the Dáil in November 2016 but was not signed into law until May or June 2017, a seven month delay on the part of the Government that wanted to ensure the planning procedure would be carried out expeditiously. Second, it is without doubt a problem that An Bord Pleanála also is neither adequately financed nor resourced to deal with those applications as evidenced from UCD's application for 500 apartments in July which was not responded to for seven or eight weeks at which time UCD was told its application was invalid. That is a sham. That cannot continue. We have been told the problem is sorted but it is far from sorted. It is far from resourced. The Minister should not try to tell me again that money is not an issue in resolving this issue. It clearly is when neither An Bord Pleanála nor the local authorities are adequately resourced or funded to deal with the damning problems that exist.