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

Twenty-four years later, it is not halfway done. The regeneration of Knocknaheeny could be used as a case study of how not to regenerate an area. I come from Knocknaheeny. Twenty-four years that regeneration has been ongoing. We will not get bogged down in that.

As regards dereliction and the derelict sites register, just to let the Minister know, I am not picking on Donegal County Council, but these are its figures. Donegal does not have one derelict site. That is amazing, is it not? This is from the reply to a question Deputy Farrell asked the Minister. Galway has four. Louth has six. The derelict sites register is a joke. Some local authorities are very good but the vast majority are not doing their job of putting sites on the register or levying money. I think half the local authorities have not levied any money. There is €20.5 million or €20.6 million outstanding on levies from last year. What is the Department doing? Why are the local authorities not doing their job? This is part of their job. We need the sites put on the register and we need the levies collected.

I will give the Minister the example of a case I have raised with him here of a butcher's on Blarney Street that was empty for 33 years. I got it put on the derelict sites register in Cork and I met the fellow who owned it and he gave out to me. Well, he did not give out to me but he slagged me. He said, "You put my property on the derelict sites register." I asked, "Was that your property?" He said, "Yes." "You bet your life I did," I said. Since he was levied, he has now turned the site into a three-bedroom apartment and a two-bedroom apartment. He actually invited me in there a few weeks ago to have a look at it, and I said to him, "In the name of God, how could you have left this lying idle for so long?" The point is that the derelict sites register works when people's sites are put on it.

My last point - I am watching the time - is about vacancy and the vacant homes tax. It is not enough. The one thing about the derelict sites levy is that it is 7%, so that levy would actually work if the sites were put on the register and the money levied. The vacancy tax, however, is so low that it actually pays people to leave the houses vacant because the value of the house is much more than the levy ever will be.