Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and I thank them for the quality of their presentations. To various degrees, they are really comprehensive and they cover a lot of ground. I do not propose to make a speech. I will be asking questions that either I do not know the answer to or I have not learned from the presentations. I want to cover one or two particular areas on which I would like general feedback from all of the witnesses appearing for us today.

I will start with land availability and compulsory purchase orders. I was a councillor for many years before I was elected to the Seanad. Last weekend, I was brought to a building in Enniskerry village which was the subject of an application by the HSE, possibly three or four years ago. It is a derelict period property in the village of Enniskerry that one could not buy for €2 million. It is a stunning building which one passes on the way to Powerscourt Estate. The planning application notice is still on the gate. I photographed the building from the outside. I also took a photograph of the notice, which I am happy to circulate after the meeting.

For me, this illustrated yet again the large tracts of property, land and buildings that are in the 31 local authority areas. I live in Dún Laoghaire, where there are substantial sites in the ownership of the council that are derelict, one of which I visited this morning. This a major town centre zone that is highly suitable for residential purposes. It is on a transport corridor and close to a harbour with the best amenities on the east coast, if not in the whole of Ireland. It is served by brilliant services. What is going on here in terms of State lands? Land within the ownership of the Defence Forces are underutilised, as are lands and properties in the ownership of the HSE. There are lands in the ownership of the educational authorities that are lying derelict, one of them in Dún Laoghaire and others in Dundrum and north County Dublin. This is very substantial real estate.

Another issue is compulsory purchase orders and the local authorities' failure in that regard. Local authorities tell me they do not have the money, resources or wherewithal. I have a particular interest in this area. I have dealt extensively with Ms Niamh Larkin, director of audit at assistant secretary general level in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with whom our witnesses will be familiar. This morning, I took the time to review a number of reports. A constantly recurring issue in all of these reports is the property asset register and the failure of city and county managers to comply with a wide range of recommendations. Today, the universities spoke about the requirement for the Land Registry and the registration of properties. We have a serious problem with the registration, administration and management of properties, be they in the health services, the Prison Services, the Defence Forces and so on. Some of the major culprits are the local authorities. I have a list on my desk today in regard to Dublin City Council. I am aware of issues in Wicklow County Council and Galway City and County Council.

How can we focus on and address the issue of derelict lands and substantial properties, some of which are protected structures and present their own challenges? How do we get our State agencies to focus on the substantial properties that can be repurposed in terms of the rejuvenation of our villages and towns, urban and rural, and put to use for residential and other uses, thus revitalising our towns, villages and communities? That is my principal concern. I speak as someone who has done a lot of work in this area but still has a lot of questions focused on a lot of city and county managers. I am more than likely the bane of their lives. They know me and I know them. I continue to chase them. I would like to hear the witnesses' thoughts.