Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are cases, and I know favourable consideration is given by the local authorities, Revenue and so on, where a property may be derelict or semi-derelict and not fit for habitation at the present time, and the owner may have plans to develop it but may not have the resources to do so at the present time. That might be taken into consideration. For instance, the same person might be eligible for a local authority house even though he or she is not in a position to develop that particular house at this time. It may well come into play again at a later stage that the person can proceed. By losing their house at a particular stage, it can be disadvantageous to people in dealing with their own housing situation within a relatively short period. I ask that this be borne in mind in the course of any considerations.