Mr. Paul Clegg:

I think I can help answer that. The powers of CPO are clearly laid out in a number of items of legislation. Before a local authority can acquire land, there has to be a clear purpose for the CPO. All going well, a CPO can be achieved in about 18 months, but there are complications. What delays a CPO can be its size, the rental and reference process where all the interests have to be determined and the question of whether there are objections, which can go to an oral hearing. In the main, it can take quite a long time for the oral hearing to happen. After that, there could be a judicial review of the process.

CPOs are expensive and the market value has to be paid. In addition, there could be a disturbance or a commercial property could experience a loss of profit or good will, and there could also be professional fees. As a process, however, there are no inhibitions in the legislation that is in place. It is more about identifying, in the first instance, the clear purpose for the CPO.

If we identify a vacant home, we do not just say we will purchase it. In the first instance, for all CPOs, we want to acquire by agreement with the owner. In the main, however, regarding the residential element, our compulsory purchases have targeted derelict homes to bring them back into social housing. If, following surveys that are carried out, there are clear data and statistics on vacant homes that will arise next year, that is something we can then consider in the context of acquiring homes. As part of our social housing programme, Dublin City Council acquires homes throughout the city that are for sale and that go back into housing stock, although I appreciate we are talking about vacancy in particular.