Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

We are facing a housing crisis of unprecedented scale. More than 15,500 people, including more than 4,700 children are living in emergency accommodation. This is not just a statistic; it is a national failure, and one that demands urgent action. At the same time there are an estimated 80,000 vacant or derelict properties across Ireland. These are properties that could and should be homes. This is not just inefficiency; it is injustice. That is why the Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025, recently proposed in the Seanad by my Green Party colleague, Senator Noonan, is welcome. It offers real and workable solutions. It expands the legal definition of dereliction. It strengthens enforcement powers. It replaces a weak levy with a 7% annual tax on the property's market value and it introduces a new town centre first planning path to bring vacant properties back into use. This Bill is practical, targeted and overdue, but despite the rising levels of homelessness and that untapped stock of housing, the Government proceeded with a timed amendment delaying this Bill's progress by up to a year. This is deeply disappointing. With thousands of people still without secure housing we need delivery and not deferral. Day after day the Taoiseach stands up and says that on the matter of housing the Government is open to all Opposition proposals and solutions. However, the reality is that time and again when the Opposition comes with reasonable solutions they are voted down and delayed.

In government, the Green Party introduced the Croí Cónaithe vacant property refurbishment grant of up to €70,000 to restore empty homes. We supported the town centre first policy, which boosted compact growth and prioritised urban generation, and we successfully opposed the efforts to delay the land hoarding tax, a tax that this year has already brought in €40 million to the Exchequer. The Government cannot afford to let another year slip by while homes lie idle, and this housing crisis worsens. There are solutions on the table. The Green Party's Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill is one of these. Let us stop managing this crisis and start fixing it.

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