Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State referred to a survey carried out by councils. I understand housing managers in Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council were not consulted. Who carried out these surveys and where did they get their information? There are nearly 100 unfinished estates in Dublin alone but Priory Hall is the only exempted development. Smaller counties have more exemptions than the entirety of Dublin. Something is not adding up. I invite the Minister of State to visit the unfinished Heathfield estate in my own area. Seven estates remain unfinished in my area. In Heathfield, the roads are unfinished, some of the houses are unoccupied and the underground services and boundaries have not yet been sorted out. I cannot fathom how somebody could decide these houses should not be exempt. If they were exempt from the household charge why are they not exempt from the property tax?

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