Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

There is general agreement that it is taking far too long for vacant houses to come back into service. Properties may lie idle for months or years. There are some in South Dublin County Council that are idle more than a year and others that have been vacant for years. I know of one building suitable for housing in Rossfield that has been lying idle for more than 20 years. In Mac Uilliam, two apartment blocks are idle, with a row ongoing between the council and the Housing Agency. Such properties are an eyesore.

Deputy O'Reilly referred to the challenges families face. People come to my office and ask whether they can take on a vacant house and do it up themselves. I have to tell them it does not work like that. People just do not get why these properties are lying idle. The main point we are trying to make in this debate is that resources should be put in to ensure they are not left idle. We need to speed up the process. South Dublin County Council has less than half the maintenance budget per unit of Dublin City Council. Will the Minister of State explain that? I do not understand it. The same types of properties get different funding depending on whether they are in south Dublin or Dublin city.

We need a different approach. People need to look at the current situation and see how it can be resolved. It has been going on for years. We have been told for years it will be tackled but people are not seeing it happening. When they go around their own estates, they see vacant properties with dumped rubbish that attracts vermin. It is time for a new approach and that is what we are proposing in this motion. It is incumbent on the Minister of State to agree to it.

See this speech in context