Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Again, Tramore is a stunning spot with which I am very familiar. He is right that it is a shame to see many of our beautiful coastal towns, which are important for tourism, impacted by dereliction. It should not be happening. As I mentioned, there are schemes to incentivise property owners to bring properties back into use. That also helps to solve the housing crisis, which is key. That is the way it should be done.

There is an opportunity here. I am sure the Senator will have an opportunity to contribute to the review of the Derelict Sites Act so that we can give local authorities more teeth. If those sums are not being collected, that is an issue we need to address. We all know of towns that are similar to Tramore. Towns across Ireland have issues with dereliction. Progress has been made in some regards but the Senator is right that we could do more. We could solve two problems. Derelict buildings are eyesores but are also potential solutions for tourism, if we are talking about tourist accommodation, and housing. I again thank the Senator for his contribution.