Mr. Robert Burns:

It is at an early stage. We are just putting together the terms of reference. The purpose is essentially to reconcile the three key data sets around the census figures, the GeoDirectory and the local property tax, LPT, figures collected by Revenue. All three are different, so one may not be comparing like with like and there may be a need for a common basis for assessment. The most robust data is the data around the GeoDirectory. It is easier to identify that geographically because we are looking at Eircode postcodes as well.

There is also a piece of work around data associated with use or lack of use, for example, connections to ESB and broadband and transactions on the property register. We want to do a deeper dive into that data to try to understand it. Ultimately, like everything else, you can only look so much at the desktop study. It is then going to require a check on-site, so part of this project will involve looking at handheld devices, for example, doing inspections on-site, checking to see what is happening. Every vacant home has a story. That is the difficulty. Things may not be immediately apparent when you look at it. A lot of investigation is required around the circumstances, be it conveyancing, probate or a dispute that may be ongoing. There is quite a bit of work on that. We are looking at the pilot and I think very likely it will entail looking at additional staff in local authorities - that is what is being signalled - to do the inspection or checking work on the ground. We are hoping that it will give us a consistent set of figures and possibly a system that could be replicated across local authorities to allow them to compare like with like.