Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would say we do not get value for money because we have to calculate the loss of rental income that arises when a property is left idle for 69 weeks. That applies to every void, not just one property. That is a rolled loss. In addition, those vacant properties are magnets for antisocial behaviour and dumping and they bring down the environment of the whole estate.

In regard to dereliction, the Derelict Sites Act was introduced in 1990. How much is applied in derelict sites levies? Are the witnesses confident that the vast majority of derelict sites - we cannot say 100% - are on the derelict sites levy? The local authorities tell this committee this is complicated. We have had a Derelict Sites Act in place for 33 years this year. Nobody should be allowed to leave a site derelict in the middle of a housing crisis. Mr. Brannigan made a point earlier about the stick. The days for plámassing people who are letting good homes and buildings rot are gone. I encourage every local authority to be as assertive as possible. I would like a comment from each council in regard to the derelict sites levy and the numbers.