Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to raise an issue, which I have raised on at least eight occasions previously, namely, the unfinished business of and lack of progress on the Naas town centre development. This project has been ongoing for ten years. As I mentioned previously, its unfinished town centre development is not a great addition to or advertisement for the town or a great sign of it being a case of business as usual in the town. Naas was one of the best business towns in the country. It has been severely hampered as a result of the stalled development of its town centre site. In recent times a number of businesses have closed and now there are rumours of other businesses closing. This has all come about as a result of a lack of footfall because people need to have a reason to come into the middle of the town, to want to stay in it for a while and to be able to conduct their business there.

Despite that this issue should have exercised the minds of those in the Department with responsibility for the environment and in the Department with responsible for local authorities, and I am sure that it does, it has not done so successfully. Having brought this issue to public attention on more than one occasion, I am now getting to the point of beginning to become impatient. They say that everybody has a limit to their patience but to beware of those who lose their patience.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, for coming into the House to take this matter. I realise that the Minister and the Minister of State in the Department with responsibility for the environment are not available for reasons over which they have no control.

The raising of this Topical Issue matter gives me a unique opportunity to lay down what I believe needs to be done now as a matter of urgency. The Minister and the Minister of State with responsibility for the environment need to call together the players involved, get them around a table, inquire of them what is happening and why matters have not progressed at a greater rate than they have heretofore. If an opportunity was ever presented to people who want to get on with this business, now is the time given that the rural development programme was recently announced and it presents an ideal opportunity to become involved in the badly needed redevelopment of the town of Naas.

As I mentioned previously, the visual appearance of a business town or any town has a significant impact on what happens in that town. While developments are taking place in large supermarkets adjacent to the town and drawing people into those areas, it is to the exclusion of the particular area to which I am referring. The business people of the town have been concerned about this matter and they will begin to lose confidence and to worry about what is happening and if the town centre will be left as it is. Naas is not a town down in the far end of the of the country and obviously people are very concerned about what is happening in those areas and anxious to ensure their towns are reinvigorated, but Naas town is within 25 miles of the centre of this city. There is no excuse for allowing the current lethargy to continue.

Now is the time to electrify all those involved, to bring them all together and let them tell us exactly what is happening and why we have not seen a situation arise in the recent past whereby somebody would have said it is time we got something going here again.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, I will take this Topical Issue. I thank Deputy Durkan for raising it.

As indicated in previous replies to parliamentary questions and in previous Topical Issue debates, the management of stalled development in Naas is a matter for Kildare County Council in the first instance. With processes under way involving NAMA and arbitration, it would be improper for the Minister to become involved. Nonetheless, I am informed by Kildare County Council that the securing of a satisfactory conclusion to the development of the Naas Town Centre site has been a particular focus of its efforts over the past number of years. In this context, the council, on foot of arbitration procedures, has successfully completed an agreement with one of two site owners relating to the provision of roads infrastructure to service the Naas Town Centre site. The arbitration case relating to the second site owner remains to be heard by the property arbitrator. Kildare County Council understands that the hearing in this case is scheduled for April 2017.

In parallel with these arbitration cases, Kildare County Council has also been involved in ongoing discussions with the owner of the Naas Town Centre site and his agents with a view to advancing development of the site as early as possible. The council continues to encourage both the financial institutions that have a controlling interest in the site and the owner of the site to either apply for planning permission for development on the site or to offer the site for sale on the open market. This matter was discussed at a meeting in Kildare County Council on 25 January 2017, and I am informed that there has been no change in the position since the Minister's last reply to Deputy Durkan on this issue.

The appointment of proper arbitrators is a matter for the Land Values Reference Committee, as provided for under the Property Values (Arbitration and Appeals) Act 1960. While I have no function in this matter, it is understood from the committee secretary that, as regards resources available to deal with arbitration matters, there is currently one full-time property arbitrator and, following a competitive process undertaken by the Courts Service on behalf of the Land Values Reference Committee, seven part-time property arbitrators were retained from 25 August 2014 on contract to be available to undertake arbitrations where, due to conflict of interest or volume of work, the permanent arbitrator was not in a position to undertake the arbitration.

I understand also that the full-time property arbitrator was assigned to deal with the application that is the subject of the case raised by the Deputy and that the reference committee understands that the matter has not been held up by virtue of the arbitrator assigned. I am sure that if the Deputy requires further information on the matter, the committee, if contacted directly, would be happy to engage with him.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I say simply this: the time for action has come. We have done all the talking. This has been going on for ten years, and that is long enough. The softly-softly approach adopted by the local authority is no longer acceptable. The local authority is deemed to have all the responsibility in this area. Therefore, it is time to bring all the bodies together and find out who is stalling, why the stalling is taking place and why it has gone on for so long. We have already waited too long. There are several property arbitrators, as the Minister of State said - at least seven - all helpers. If there is a problem or some logjam in that office, we should deal with it now. There is no use waiting for another ten years.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has drawn particular attention to a certain part of Italy, with great acclaim and great admiration. The leaning towers of Naas have brought nothing but ridicule to us, as public representatives, and, through no fault of the people who live there, to the town itself. I do not care whose feelings get hurt in this business. Enough is enough. Time marches on. It is time now for those who have responsibility to come forward, make a clean break and let something start as and from now. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue again, I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate the Acting Chairman's forbearance in the course of the debate. However, I hope I do not have to bring this matter to the attention of the House again. Enough is enough. Now let us see some action from all those who are responsible and who are doing the town of Naas a great disservice.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the Deputy's concerns and those of the people living in Naas. I understand his frustration regarding the fact that the issue has gone on so long but I assure him that I know how a town centre can be a magnet for communities and can draw people into it. However, as indicated earlier, it would be inappropriate for the Minister to become involved or make any further comments on the matter while a number of processes are under way. Regarding the availability of only one individual arbitrator across the entire State and the insurance backlog, the Minister has no role in this matter, and I am informed that my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, has no official role in the matter either. The appointment of a property arbitrator is a matter for the reference committee. This is a statutory committee consisting of the Chief Justice, the president of the High Court and the president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland under the Property Values (Arbitrations and Appeals) Rules 1961. It is the reference committee that is charged with appointing one or more persons as property arbitrators.

I again concur with what the Deputy has said and I will bring his concerns to the attention of the Minister, who, unfortunately, could not be here this evening.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat, a Aire Stáit, for having stepped in and go raibh maith agat, a Theachta Durkan. I thank the four Deputies and the various Ministers for co-operating with the Acting Chairman. We kept within the time limit, which is very satisfactory.