Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his very strong and forthright response. He served as a member of the local authority in Waterford for many years, and I served with him on a regional authority. We are very familiar with this type of situation. The Minister of State is not just knowledgeable in theory but also in practice.

I am dismayed to find out that in 2013, only 44 derelict sites were dealt with - in other words, removed - in the entire country. I was surprised to discover that some local authorities have zero derelict sites on their books while other local authorities have up to 250 or more, of which they are removing something in the order of four or five per year. That is not good enough and I ask the Minister of State that this week, he would, through his office, make as much known to the responsible officials in the local authorities.

Volunteers in every community up and down the country, particularly at this time of year, spend hours and weeks of their own time getting ready for the tidy towns competition. The same thing knocks them every year and we can do something about it. I will deal with the Minister of State when the legislation is introduced in the House. We will see if we can put something stronger in it then.