Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that. I have followed this debate on the monitor in my office. I am very interested in the issue. I have been surprised for some time by the lack of use of the Derelict Sites Act by various local authorities. I sent a questionnaire to local authorities on this issue and I am very grateful for their responses. I sent it to all of them and 19 responded. I am very grateful for that. I know Mr. Keogh, and Mr. Daly who is not quite a fellow parishioner but lives fairly close to me. I welcome them to the committee and I thank them for the information they have brought with them.

It is interesting to hear from the local authorities that have had the most success using the Act. It would also be very useful for the committee to hear from the local authorities that were not very successful and have not been using the Act as much of late. Louth County Council comes to mind. There was a lot of utilisation of the Act and now it seems to be utilised less. Did they just run out of derelict sites? Hopefully, that is the case in Louth. Was there a particular reason for using the Act less?

Mr. Daly mentioned building up the expertise and a team to utilise the Act. Obviously Limerick, like Waterford, has a relatively big local authority, and it is one of the bigger ones in the country. He has worked in a number of local authorities.

Could smaller local authorities that do not have as many personnel and that cannot dedicate a team to the task in the way Limerick and Waterford local authorities perhaps can be provided with some more support from the Department or a unit therein to discuss the legal possibilities? Mr. Daly, who will have a broad view of local authorities from his career, might have a view on this.