Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this very important subject. It is important that when vacant properties are not being used or are being hoarded, there is a strong penalty to make sure to get these moved on. I believe we also need to have a bit of carrot with the stick. We need to make sure that where properties that can be brought back into use, they are either refurbished and sold or rented out. That will increase supply and makes sense to take our existing vacant properties and bring them back into use. I am glad that I, along with other members of the Regional Group, brought forward measures that the Government accepted.

These measures must be implemented by 1 May 2023. These include extending the vacant property scheme to allow people renting out properties to be included in the scheme. Second, the age of the property has to be brought forward to 2007 rather than 1993. The other aspect to this is that the grant available is not good enough to meet the huge increase in construction inflation that has occurred during the past year alone. The Department of Education has increased its cost limits by 21% alone in three months. That is a positive first step to achieving some progress in bringing buildings back into use.

Equally, though, this addresses only part of the problem. We also need to look at how we deal with the planning around these projects. I have cases where the planning exemption certificate has been refused. We need to tell the local authorities to back away and to let people get their properties done up so they can be made available. This initiative needs to come from the Government and the Minister and we cannot be dilly-dallying with this. There must also be an easing of regulations, because this is one of the biggest stumbling blocks when people are trying to build out projects, especially in cities.

Rural towns must also be considered. It would be remiss of me not to mention the residential zoned land tax being brought in. In my constituency of Galway East, there are many rural towns, including Tuam, Gort, Loughrea and Athenry. The Minister will know them. Land in those areas is being farmed and is part of a functional farm but it has been zoned R1, as it is called, for residential development, or even R2. A tax is being applied to this land even though it is part of a functioning family farm. It is outrageous that we would put a value on this land, first of all, and then put a tax on it. This land will never be available for sale because it is being used. It is not being hoarded but used for the purpose of farming in this country. We must stand up here and say it is absolutely rubbish if any tax is applied to that type of land.

It is important that we take this for what it is worth. There is an opportunity to ensure vacant properties are brought back into use. We must ensure as well that they are brought back into use in a way that will revive our towns, villages and rural areas. Equally, the county development plan are going against the concept of family members building on their own family farms. We have the likes of TII making rules and regulations governing who can build where. We must decide who is actually in charge. All over my constituency, I have heard of cases where the sons and daughters of farmers want to build on their own land and they are being refused planning permission because they would be coming out an exit that perhaps might currently be from a farm yard. Now that a house is going to be built that will use that entrance as well, however, it is being regarded as creating much more of a danger. We must get ourselves back to reality. We have to allow people to live where they should live. This has been proved by the European courts. The European Court of Justice has said this. We need, therefore, to have free movement of people. One thing we must ensure in this regard is that we have proper and affordable planning processes in rural areas.

See this speech in context