Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For clarity, will there be a report from the vacant homes officers nationally so that we can read and see what they are doing? They have to be seen to be accountable. The outcome of their work must be visible and clear. I repeat that that was clearly not the case in the past.

The Minister of State welcomes CPO and I respect him for saying so. Is there a plan to manage it? Will the Department appoint a person, persons or a unit that will drive that? We cannot take no from local authorities if they do not take the low-hanging fruit. There is a lot of low-hanging fruit - at least a couple of thousand houses - that could be subject to CPO tomorrow if local authorities had the determination and gumption to do it. Some of them do it. Some of them are afraid to go near it and that is not acceptable.

Lastly, the carrots are there. The stick, in the form of the vacant property tax, is only just. It does not go far enough. Certainly, if properties are vacant in rent pressure zones, we should charge them a significant amount of money, which should be 3%, 4% or 5% of the property values in that area, to make them do something with it. It is unacceptable that families are deprived of turning a key in a door when somebody who owns that door is not using it, will not use it, only wants the home to appreciate in value and does not give a damn about the social policies which must come first. It is people before property in this case.

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