Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement yesterday that the Government is proposing €30 million as a grant towards the rebuilding of Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork? It is a €70 million project. I also welcome the additional money being provided to local authorities to refurbish vacant houses. Over 800 additional vacant houses will be refurbished.

My question for the Leader concerns local authorities and vacant houses. There are 499 vacant houses in the Cork City Council area. I do not understand why when a house becomes vacant, it cannot be allocated immediately. There seems to be a policy in local authorities that they must refurbish the house before it can be re-allocated. As a result, there is a delay and the procedure can take up to six months. By the time the local authority comes to do it, the house has been damaged. It is the responsibility of local authorities to re-allocate houses within seven days of becoming vacant. I am asking for a debate on this issue and for local authorities to be made accountable. It is taxpayers' money that is being squandered. A total of 499 houses are vacant in Cork city alone. It is costing the taxpayer an enormous amount of money to refurbish them. It is time we looked at how we are managing houses once they become vacant. We should have a debate on this issue and see what new procedures need to be put in place. It involves squandering taxpayers' money and should not be allowed.