Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is important because, obviously, those in the unoccupied properties can go beyond the six-month period. One would like to think the local authority would have a watching brief on those 49 properties to see how many will go into that long-term category. While those 49 properties are unoccupied, they have an impact on the community. Illegal dumping is the principal problem in my area. In unoccupied homes the grass is overgrown, the back garden becomes overgrown and rats become an issue. Then there is the problem of illegal dumping. We are trying to arrive at solutions here. Is it the case that the local authorities have very few powers relating to those properties in the six-month category and longer?