Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I take from the Senator's question that he sees a lack of urgency. I will relay that comment back to the Department. Regarding the working group, it is important that it concludes its work and is able to issue a set of recommendations to the Minister. The measures I outlined to address vacancy and dereliction are having an impact across the country. While it is perhaps not on the scale we want them to, they are making good ground across. I announced grants in the last few weeks that also address our heritage building stock, in which the Senator has a major interest. There is no doubt this is a challenge, including for local government, to take in that revenue, which is the leverage by which we activate these sites for productive use. I will relay the concerns the Senator raised to the Department.