Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and am grateful for the opportunity to say a number of words on this Bill.

Before I do, I wish to comment on the voids question that has been mentioned. It is not true to say, as Deputy Quinlivan has done, that we have not tackled voids, which even his own party's spokesperson will recognise. It does not mean that we are not sometimes annoyed that some local authorities are a little slow in turning them around. The Deputy referred to Limerick in 2018 and afterwards. When we checked it at that time, Limerick was allocated the resources it needed to bring those voids back into operation, both in rural and urban areas. The voids programme in general has brought 10,000 houses back into use over the last number of years.

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