Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. The wind was slightly taken from my sails by the vote, so I hope I can find my place and what I was thinking about saying.

I welcome Senator Noonan and the Green Party bringing forward this Bill. It existed in a previous iteration during the previous government, which is why it is particularly disappointing that the Government has tabled an amendment to postpone it for 12 months, given that the former variation of this Bill was already in place. I disagree with the rationale that it needs to be looked into more, and certainly not for 12 months, when we have reports of up to 100,000 homes lying vacant throughout Ireland, including countless buildings standing in complete neglect in our towns and cities. That is in the context of the worst housing and homelessness emergency the country has ever faced. We hear consistent rhetoric from the Government that it really wants to tackle this housing emergency, yet a Bill that would contribute to tackling that emergency is being delayed by 12 months.

The rates of vacancy and dereliction are appalling when we consider the number of people in this country who do not have a home, the hundreds of hidden homeless and the people who have been forced to emigrate because they do not have any hope of being able to buy a home in this country. In the face of this housing emergency, every vacant and derelict property represents not just housing potential but also an opportunity to reinvigorate our communities. As we all know, town centres are the lifeblood of our local communities, particularly in rural areas. Our town tempters include local shops that have been around for generations, or perhaps new entrepreneurs with local businesses opening cafes, which, again, are important community hubs.

A major element of our town centres is also about above-the-shop living and residential properties, many of which now stand vacant. The impact of this is twofold. First, as I mentioned, people are not able to live in those homes although we have high homelessness figures. Second, it has an impact on the vibrancy, liveliness and safety of our towns. We have talked about community safety in the Chamber previously. Having people living in town centres and city centres contributes to safety.

I very much welcome and support the objectives of this Bill, which aims to robustly address vacancy and dereliction by transforming the derelict sites levy into a robust derelict sites tax, collected by Revenue as opposed to local authorities, thus ensuring the taxes are systematically collected, which will ensure efficiency and reinvestment into affordable housing. For far too long, the vacant property tax in Ireland has been totally ineffective. The Bill also has provisions to modernise the derelict sites register with the aim of accountability and transparency regarding who owns those sites. This transparency is also critical for tackling the issue of vacancy.Some local authorities across this country have successfully and effectively used compulsory purchase orders to address vacancy, but the Bill will compel them to purchase derelict homes that have been on the register for two years. There are local authorities that have not been as effective or as successful at this and, therefore, the homes lie vacant.

The Bill proposes a new vacant home tax at 3% of the market value. My colleagues in the Social Democrats would seek a 10% tax to truly disincentivise it, but I support any actions, including this Bill, that bring in more credible action on vacant homes, which, quite frankly, are a scourge on our society during a housing crisis.

Beyond this Bill, we need to push for more bolder action to tackle the crisis. I particularly support the town centres policy of this Bill, which brings a specific planning process for dealing with the over-the-shop units and older structures to ensure they can be brought back into residential use. This approach recognises the unique challenges posed by older buildings, particularly around the issues of fire safety and disabled access, and it proposes nuanced, practical solutions to address them.

The Government has introduced some measures to tackle vacancy, such as the vacant homes grant, but the implementation of this scheme has been deeply ineffective. There are challenges around fire certificates, building standards and accessibility. The lack of support and resources for those looking to refurbish vacant above-the-shop units is currently limiting the potential to bring these units back into residential use. There were roughly 11,000 applications for the vacant property refurbishment grant last year and yet only 1,349 were paid out. I recognise there is a drawdown period within that. I was actually a recipient of the vacant property grant. I am deeply familiar with its operation. I am grateful I got it but there are so many challenges with it that it makes it deeply inaccessible for many people. The fact that very few applications have been paid out points to a major issue in how these grants are being implemented and puts into question how seriously the Government is tackling the issue of vacancy and dereliction as one method of increasing the housing stock and bringing back the towns and villages.

This legislation, coupled with targeted infrastructure and investment in local businesses and public spaces, offers a good blueprint for reversing urban decline, as Senator Noonan previously said in his intervention. It is important for breathing life back into our towns and cities. It is about creating vibrant, inclusive, sustainable communities where people can afford to live and thrive.