Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am glad the Minister of State did not do so, given its content. I do not in any way advocate a return to section 23 - the Department might well have concerns about that. Many people would, because to return to that section would merely be to go back to what was wrong without having learned anything. What was introduced in the Living City initiative was very targeted, as the Minister of State noted. It was not a blanket scheme. The Minister of State mentioned the great Georgian homes of Ireland. In addition, there are the merchant houses that used to mark every town and village in the country, which have now fallen into decay. They are a very important part of the streetscape of practically every town and village in Ireland. They usually have very fine slate roofs, slates that are in many instances falling off those roofs and posing a danger to passersby.

I very much welcome the Minister of State's proposal that objective criteria for deprivation and other factors be put in place but there is another criterion, namely, heritage value, whether architectural or historical. Every local authority in Ireland has a heritage officer, and in many instances a heritage section employing architects. It would not and should not be beyond county councils to draw up a list of the key buildings that exist in practically every town and village.

In many instances these merchant homes which contained a family living over a shop or bar dating from the Victorian period, or sometimes earlier, have fallen into decay as the families moved into fine bungalows in the suburbs and left the main street to decay. While I do not advocate a return of section 23, a case can be made for tax incentives to reinvigorate smaller towns and villages.

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