Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The way to deal with issues of vacancy and dereliction is through action. The most effective action has been the grants programme for vacant or derelict houses, which provides grants of €50,000 and €70,000. There is considerable interest in those grants. That, to me, is action and substance in terms of the issue of dereliction. We will work with local authorities to ensure we can improve on the inner city or urban renewal projects to bring more residential accommodation to our towns and cities. That will happen not only through the grant schemes the Minister has announced but also through other measures, working with the Department of Community and Rural Affairs, and the urban development grants announced by the Minister for housing to get real impact on dereliction and vacancy.

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