Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have been getting different figures, I would be grateful if the Minister of State could provide me with definitive figures on how many derelict properties there are in my County Kerry. I am sure he does not have them with him now.

I also emphasise that in our messaging we should not refer only to towns and villages but also to the thousands of derelict cottages and old farmhouses throughout the countryside. That is critically important. People who grew up in the countryside sometimes cannot get planning permission, yet these derelict houses are available and could be transformed. We have to include those buildings, embrace them and bring them back into use to keep our countryside communities alive, including the one I am from.

The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, will visit my constituency next week. It is very important that he see the former St. Finan’s Hospital in Killarney, which has the potential to deliver a large number of housing units. The senior Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, was there during the summer. This has been done in Waterford and it can be done in Killarney.

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