Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----I will likely be called for another vote. I apologise to all the attendees. I thank them all for their submissions and for all the work they do daily on this very important issue. I have read all of their submissions but also followed their work. As a former city councillor, I am most familiar with Dublin City Council's workings. I thank all the attendees and very much appreciate their work.

From our perspective, the housing crisis requires us to sweat every single asset, and using existing built property is the most sustainable and efficient way for us to increase the housing stock. It is a major priority for us. The submissions make it very clear this is not a simple issue. It is complex and a nuanced approach needs to be taken to it. Waterford's example of the repair and lease scheme shows very much how significant progress can be made when there is a focused, proactive approach.

In terms of the submission from Dublin City Council, I suggest we need to come back to the urban regeneration of public spaces and buildings. It is a piece of work all on its own. My questions are to do with private properties. Dublin City Council undertook a street survey in 2017 of four electoral divisions. I wonder which four they were, because the council's contribution is stark. It says there is almost nothing there. That is not the lived experience in the city. The lived experience in the city is we have considerable dereliction. We have far too much vacancy and dereliction, and I appreciate there is a distinct difference between both. From the city council's perspective, there are 162 electoral divisions, so I would be interested to know which four were surveyed.

I would also like to know whether the city council is taking a co-ordinated, proactive approach to using all of the tools available to it. From an outsider's perspective, of somebody living in the city, there are compulsory purchase orders, CPO, powers, vacancy tax, derelict and vacancy registers and a register for dangerous buildings. However, are they working in a co-ordinated and proactive way to turn the vacant properties into habitable and inhabited properties?