Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Minister misses the point. I am not talking about him buying those properties. I am talking about him putting responsibility on the owners of vacant properties to bring them back into use. I am not talking about buying them but, rather, bringing them into use and if they do not have a use for them, they put them on the market. If they cannot let them, then they should be put on the market. The Minister must force the issue. He must not stand idly over a situation where there are vast numbers of housing units that could be made available to people who are in dire need of them. The Minister is not prepared to take action on that front. I brought this matter to the Minister's attention some time ago, just after he was appointed and spoke to various spokespersons from the parties. I talked to him about the issue of the fair deal scheme. The way in which that scheme works militates against those properties belonging to older people being brought into use. That could be changed at the stroke of a pen to allow-----

See this speech in context