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

The other area is vacant sites and we have not developed much conversation in that regard. A number of them that are listed as being under Dublin City Council's ownership are being removed because they are being developed under the new Housing for All strategy, such as in Shanganagh or Ballymun, where a further 100 units were proposed today. I welcome that, and we could hold a full meeting on the issue of holding local authorities to account to ensure they deliver on that.

My concern relates to commercial units, which are found in every village. Ballymun shopping centre is one of them. For those derelict sites that are in either public or private ownership, is there a method for the local authorities to turn them around, given that owning commercial properties does not come within their role? Another committee member mentioned a pub earlier and we know the controversy around that. My instinct suggests there is no policy tool that assists the council to develop commercial properties because it is a housing authority rather than a commercial development authority.