Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We need a profile of vacant properties, because while a tax would be suitable for some, it would not be for all. There are delays in the probate process. I am dealing with individual cases and currently they are taking months. A report during the summer stated that it was taking 16 months for probate to come through, but the properties in question remain vacant in the meantime. We need a breakdown of the 183,000 properties regarding those that are in the fair deal scheme and those that are in probate or caught up in legal disputes, of which there are many. Receivers are in control and we need the data urgently. Deputy Burton is right to identify the issue of upper floors. Within a ten or 15-minute walk of this place one will find hundreds of properties on upper floors and over offices which are vacant and not being brought into use because of ridiculous planning rules. These are under our noses in Dublin city centre and they need to be dealt with.