Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on the number of compulsory purchase orders, CPOs, completed under the CPO activation programme and an update on the long-promised legislation to reform the CPO process as recommended by the Law Reform Commission. [54229/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Gould for the question.

Addressing vacancy and dereliction is a key priority of the Government. The vacant homes action plan published in January 2023 set out a range of actions to be taken to return vacant and derelict properties back to use as homes. The 2025 progress report shows significant progress has been made and it is available on the Department's website.

The CPO activation programme encourages a proactive and systematic approach by local authorities to address vacancy and dereliction. Local authorities are identifying vacant and derelict properties and engaging with the owners to bring these back into use, using the wide variety of schemes now in place. This includes using their compulsory purchase powers where engagement with the owners of the properties has been unsuccessful. It is true to say that local authorities vary in their willingness to use compulsory purchase powers and the Department is working to support them to strengthen their activation response to vacancy and dereliction. This is certainly something about which I am engaging with local authorities when I go around the country. I want local authorities to use their powers under the Housing Act and the Derelict Sites Act.

The programme requires co-ordination across teams in local authorities to support a focused response and this is occurring with reorganisation and new structures being established in local authorities. From my experience in dealing with local authorities, I note that where it is done under a single directorate in the local authority it functions a lot better than where it is a cross-directorate approach. The data on the CPO activation programme the Deputy referenced in his question is currently being verified and finalised and will be published in the coming weeks.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I cannot believe the data is not available. It was supposed to be released in the second quarter of the year and here we are in October 2025 without the data. The Minister said things are going well and progressing but where is the proof? For months, I have submitted a parliamentary question every two or three weeks looking for information on dereliction, such as how many sites are derelict, how many were added to the register, how many were compulsorily purchased and so on. I want to let the Minister of State know that I submitted another question last week. Why is that information being withheld from the Dáil?

In 2023, the Government said it would add 400 buildings to the derelict sites register and that 400 of them would be purchased under CPOs. I am only taking a wild guess, but I am willing to put my reputation on the line by saying there is no way that 400 buildings were purchased under CPOs. Will the Minister of State give a commitment that those figures will be finally released this month?

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I want to make that point.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be allowed to come back in.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister of State give that commitment today?

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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It is certainly my expectation that the report will be published this month. That is what my officials advise me.

Local authorities have a role in pursuing the owners of vacant and derelict properties. They can issue notices and where those notices are not acted upon, the properties are included on the register and levies are applied. The Deputy will be aware that in yesterday's budget announcement, a derelict property tax was announced by the Minister for Finance. I have engaged with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, on this. Local authorities will have a role to play in identifying all those properties and ensuring we have an accurate register of the number of derelict properties so they can be levied and those levies can be collected by Revenue. As I said yesterday, we have had a whole suite of responses. I sat on the Oireachtas joint committee and the Deputy knows about many of the positive schemes that are in place. However, if the carrot is not used, the stick that is the tax is coming and it is coming quickly.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Today is World Vacant Homes Day and in a minute members of the Government will be outside having their photograph taken. The hypocrisy of that is unbelievable. Things are so bad that Fine Gael backbenchers introduced Private Members' legislation in July to try to force the Minister's hand on the matter of CPOs being used. Some Government backbenchers do not believe or have faith in the Ministers.

I invite the Minister and Minister of State to walk the streets of Dublin, Cork or Waterford with me and look at the dereliction. It is unbelievable. The Minister of State talked about local authorities having a part to play. Where are the support, funding and staff for local authorities? He spoke about reorganising. Reorganising is only bluff. If he really wants local authorities to start using CPOs, he will give them the money, staff and authority to do it.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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To be honest, that is just a bluff of a response as well because the Deputy is well aware that the organisation and role of local authorities in this is important. He knows about the schemes, including the vacant property refurbishment grant, the repair and leasing scheme and the buy and renew scheme.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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They are not working.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I did not interrupt the Deputy.

All the schemes that are in place are to bring those properties back into use. What we announced in the budget yesterday was a derelict property tax-----

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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In three years' time. There will not be-----

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Once again, I did not interrupt the Deputy.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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When will it be delivered?

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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Let the Minister of State respond, Deputy.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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With all due respect, I did not interrupt the Deputy so I would appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to reply.

We are introducing that tax as the stick that will come if the carrot of those schemes has not been used. CPOs have a role to play. The issuing of the notices and instructing the owners of those properties to bring them back into use and activate them is also a tool some local authorities are using to good effect and others are not.

The Deputy invited me to take a stroll around Dublin, Cork or Waterford. I walk Waterford every day of the week when I am at home and tremendous work has been done through CPOs and the schemes I mentioned. I am sure in the Deputy's city of Cork good work is being done, but also that more needs to be done to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister of State walk with me?

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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No problem.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will organise that.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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No problem.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Perhaps Deputy Hearne will come with us.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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I am always delighted to go for a walk with Deputy Gould.