Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. That is encouraging news at a national level. I am concerned about the Dún Laoghaire area because there is a finite amount of space for new builds. The area is bordered by the sea and is already densely populated. We have a challenge, with a sports-mad population, to find green space for children to play. In that context, we really depend on using existing stock efficiently and well. The very helpful vacant homes website that Mayo County Council set up identifies that in May of this year there were 130 vacant homes but I know that is not the universe of vacancy in my area. I refer in particular to over-the-shop units on George's Street in Dún Laoghaire. There are 264 shops on the street, which is 1.2 km long. Dún Laoghaire is an old Victorian town and it has proved very difficult to convert over-the-shop space into residential property for a whole range of reasons, including the need for fire escapes and insurance difficulties. These are opportunities and I know that this is an area in which the Minister of State has a keen interest.

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