Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge that the Minister of State has introduced flexibility to the measures for remediating houses but the large number of void houses is nonetheless an issue. While he stated that the percentage is small relative to the overall housing stock, it is a large number. He hit the nail on the head when he referred to the visual impact of boarded up houses, which is what hits people. As constituency representatives, all of us receive telephone calls on a weekly basis in regard to boarded up houses. Is it within his wherewithal to introduce an order or regulation to oblige local authorities to refurbish houses within a specified period of time?

I do not know what figures my local authority, Limerick County Council, provided in respect of the tabular statement circulated in the Minister of State's reply but I am sure the Deputies from Limerick City would dispute the claim of a turnaround time of one week. I am not calling anyone a liar but I do not believe units can be turned around in as short a time as one week because the evidence suggests otherwise. Can a regulation or order be introduced to require local authorities to turn around these vacant properties within a specified period?

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