Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for facilitating this debate on an issue that I have raised a number of times and with which the Minister of State will be familiar. I refer to the building project in Naas that has been stalled for several years over a planning matter, leaving standing tower cranes that are a blight on the skyline and the town. Wherever a town or village has what is seen to be a stalled development or blighted streetscape, there is an unwarranted question mark over it. The purpose of this debate is to ask the Minister of State to use his good offices to contact the local authority and help it in every way possible to bring about a resolution.

Arbitration has been under way for some time. Because the issues have been outstanding for several years, it is imperative that immediate steps be taken to bring the matter to a resolution. One problem is that there is only one arbitrator for the entire country. I know this is so, as I obtained that information through parliamentary questions.

Notwithstanding the fact that the work is imminent, it remains necessary and desirable to focus attention on the issue at hand and to bring it to a conclusion at an early date. The same can be said of a number of adjoining towns that were victims of the economic crash. Sufficient time has gone by to enable the facilities to be restarted, to reinvigorate the stalled developments and to ensure that they become part and parcel of the economic entity that is Naas.

Will the Minister of State use his good offices to ascertain from the local authority what, if anything, is required beyond the resources currently available to it and to encourage speedy arbitration? If he is called on to do something further, will he do so early in order to bring about a satisfactory resolution? Approaching the Christmas season, it would be an important boost to the town were a settlement on the outstanding issues possible.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important matter for him, namely, the Naas town centre development. He has raised it a number of times and it is of concern to him and his constituents. However, the management of issues relating to town centres is primarily a matter for the relevant local authority. From inquiries made of Kildare County Council, I am informed that its involvement in this regard relates to the compulsory acquisition of two small parcels of land, with the main issue being the amount to be paid by the local authority to the landowners involved. I understand that both parcels of land are due for arbitration, with hearings on the first parcel taking place this week and hearings on the second scheduled for early in the new year. The remainder of the stalled town centre development is connected to NAMA, and Kildare County Council is precluded from involvement, while NAMA reports to the Minister for Finance on its activities.

My ministerial role as regards planning and development generally is mainly to provide and update the legislative and policy guidance framework, including national urban policy. I have no mandate regarding individual town centre developments, which are matters for local authorities. In the broader sense of urban policy initiatives to rejuvenate town centres, a number of measures have been introduced by my Department in recent years. Local authorities were requested to exercise restraint or, where possible, reduce commercial rates and local charges to assist local businesses in the current economic climate. The majority of local authorities have responded positively. Revised development contribution guidelines were introduced in January 2013 requesting that planning authorities put in place reduced development contributions to support town centre development and incentivise activity in the areas prioritised for development in the relevant core strategy. The publication of new guidelines on retail planning in April 2012 were aimed at promoting and supporting the vitality and viability of city and town centres. These guidelines retained the previous caps on store size in less populated and smaller towns and were aimed at striking the right balance to ensure that local monopolies were not created in smaller towns, as these would be detrimental to competition. In addition, the recently enacted Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, which we passed in July, provides for the introduction of a vacant site levy to stimulate the development of vacant or under-utilised sites in urban areas with a view to restoring them to beneficial use.

In terms of Government action other than by my Department to provide assistance to retail businesses and stimulate economic activity in urban areas, a number of measures have been introduced since 2011, including the introduction of the 9% rate of VAT on certain goods and services, the halving of the lower rate of employers' PRSI and the introduction of the microenterprise loan scheme and the credit guarantee scheme, both of which have had take-up from the retail sector. Furthermore, the Government recently announced a new €30 million investment in rural towns and villages in the years ahead. This new scheme is aimed at supporting their revitalisation and increasing their attractiveness and sustainability with the aim of improving the living and working environment and enhancing their potential to support increased economic activity.

The combination of these measures is evidence of the Government's commitment to addressing town renewal issues generally, and we will continue to progress such initiatives. As indicated, however, the management of the stalled town centre development in Naas is primarily a matter for Kildare County Council in the first instance. With relevant processes under way involving NAMA and arbitration, it would be inappropriate for me as Minister of State to become involved or make any further comment on the matter.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I note the progress that has taken place to date, notwithstanding that the matter is primarily one for the local authority. In view of the fact that the Government has already allocated approximately €30 million for the upgrading of town centres throughout the country, it is appropriate for the Minister of State's Department to ask the various local authorities how and when they intend to use the funding and whether it would be possible to use it to complement the completion works required in Naas. Admittedly, the allocation is obviously for towns and villages all over the country.

One quality of a town that is of most benefit to its population and commercial sector is its appearance. If the appearance is good, it encourages people to come to the area, spend money there, and feel good about it. For a feel-good factor to manifest itself, it is important for the Minister of State to keep in touch with the local authority and inquire regularly to ensure that everything that can possibly be done is being done to bring about a rapid conclusion to the issues that have been outstanding for some time.

While we all expect it will still take some time to address the arbitration issues, the fact that arbitration has started should now give rise to the possibility of taking action in anticipation of the conclusion of the negotiations, so we will not have to wait until everything is done before we start making preparations for a final conclusion.

Again, I thank the Minister of State for his reply and recognise that he has already been in touch with the local authority in regard to this matter. I thank him and his officials for their interest in the issue. Will he try to ensure a rapid conclusion in respect of the outstanding works?

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I welcome this debate because it concerns an area of deep interest to me. It is important that we debate and focus continually on how we can regenerate our towns and villages. As the Deputy requested, we will engage with the local authorities on the €30 million stimulus fund targeted at the renewal of towns and villages. We will be making calls in this respect. The local authorities will prioritise their submissions and send them to my Department, which will then assess them and make allocations accordingly.

Urban regeneration is very logical, and I support the Deputy in this regard. Urban regeneration is a priority for the Government. It is logical because it concerns sites in the middle of towns that are serviced in terms of infrastructure and public utilities. The sites are in the centre of communities and can be accessed by those communities. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to prioritise urban sites, including town-centre sites. For this reason, we brought forth the urban regeneration Bill in July of this year. There are a number of incentives in that legislation, but also a number of sanctions for landowners who do not bring their sites back into beneficial use. The Government will be and has been pursuing this vigorously.

I expect local authorities to be proactive in terms of the regeneration of sites, be they for commercial development or for housing, in town centres and villages. They have an obligation to be proactive. They need to resolve any issues associated with the sites. I encourage the local authorities, as the economy recovers and as opportunities arise, to bring sites back into beneficial use for the benefit of local economies and citizens in towns.

I acknowledge the role of NAMA, which is in control of many of the sites. It reports to the Minister for Finance. It needs to be made clear that NAMA has a social responsibility to make progress on the sites and remove them from the list of vacant, blighted or derelict sites. NAMA has a role in bringing forward proposals to bring sites back into beneficial use as early as possible. That message will be sent to those concerned.