Mr. Coil?n O'Reilly:

I thank the Senator. The number of people on our housing list is 13,377. Vacancy comes up constantly. I get asked about it every month at the council meetings. It is an emotive topic. It drives people crazy to go by vacant homes and see them sitting there. Sometimes people take an overly simplistic view of how easy it is to bring them back into use by putting in new windows and kitchens in order that people can live in them. Much of what Dublin City Council ends up dealing with is more complex.

What the Senator is asking about is the powers local authorities have. It really is a matter for local government. The new vacant site tax introduced in the budget is certainly a stick that might encourage people. We also need to look at some of the reasons properties are vacant. We have done research on this. There may be unclear title, ownership disputes or wards of court involved. A property might be for sale. The owner might be in long-term healthcare. The owner might not be able to afford to bring the property up to building standards. It may be a second property for temporary use. It may be an investment property. All of these reasons need different carrots and sticks to get people to activate them. Each reason for vacancy would probably need a different action.

We have brought forward 48 buy and renew properties to date. Under the Living City initiative, we have received 108 applications in the context of owner-occupiers and 77 for rental residential. We have certified 61 for owner-occupiers, which is just over 60%. We have also brought forward 44 rental residential, which is 60%. The point with regard to the Living City initiative is that it involves a tax rebate over ten years. People must have the capital to be able to do it. The change in the budget will make it a little bit more attractive.