Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have been a Deputy for almost four years. I have repeatedly told the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy English, that the vacant housing numbers, both rural and urban, are at most one in 12. Any Deputy who canvasses will verify that statistic. The system is flawed. I ask the Minister to appoint a dedicated housing officer and to carry out a pilot project in my county. County Louth was previously successful in leading the charge with compulsory purchase orders. I have spoken to several housing officers in different parts of the country who have verified nobody is on the ground identifying vacant properties. They rely on people to inform them that a particular property is vacant. I want there to be an officer who will go door to door, like people who are currently canvassing, and identify vacant houses, many of which are owned by the banks. The properties are not being used, often because their owners are waiting for the market price to continue to rise. I challenge the Minister to appoint somebody to do that job in Louth County Council. We will show the Minister he was wrong in his approach to vacant housing.

See this speech in context