Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I read the Minister of State's reply, but what is not stated is the average length of time it takes Kerry County Council to turn around a vacant house. I understand that we have to deal with families and that there are items left behind, which is sometimes the case. In Tobar Naofa, there are ten units are vacant. One vacant house facing onto the Dean's Lane side of the complex has been vacant for two years. It was constructed eight or nine years ago and would not need significant work in order to turn it around. Someone may have had a painting on the wall. Perhaps needs a lick of paint, but that is about the height of it.

There is another problem in that the council does not employ any painters. There may be a problem getting painters, but it is not acceptable to have such a long delay. It may very well be the case that the figures are as low as possible, as the Minister of State outlined, but I do not think that is the case. The turnaround time seems to be at least nine to 12 months. That might be okay where a complete retrofit is required, but it is not acceptable for all houses. Are targets being set by the Government to make sure that houses are turned around as quickly as possible?

My view is that the abolition of the town councils has been a disaster for all types of housing management, in particular in Tralee, Killarney and Listowel. I dealt with a man from another part of Kerry recently who was made homeless. He was told that the only emergency accommodation is in the town of Tralee. That seems to have been the case for a long time. Even if a person is living on the Ring of Kerry or in north Kerry, the only place available is 40 miles or 50 miles away from their homeplace. That is not what is required. We need to do better.

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