Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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15. To ask the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 25 of 3 December 2014 the progress made since the beginning of 2015 on the public consultation on the introduction of a tax on vacant sites, as outlined in his budget speech in view of rising property prices and a shortage of supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4705/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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In Budget 2015 I announced my intention to launch a public consultation on the issue of unused zoned and serviced land with a view to examining what taxation measures might be taken to penalise land owners who do not develop such land. I expect to launch this consultation shortly.

The aim of the public consultation will be to assess the extent to which the taxation system - through penal measures can be utilised to encourage the development of such zoned and serviced land to assist with the shortage of residential properties in certain areas.  Any existing levies will be considered as part of the consultation process and any taxation measures that may be introduced as a result of the consultation will take account of any existing levies in place.

The Government's Construction 2020 Strategy published in May 2014 outlined a range of actions aimed at incentivising increased housing construction activity and supply. These actions are being progressed as a matter of urgency, including measures incorporated in the forthcoming Planning and Development No. 1 Bill , for example the revision of the Part V social housing obligations on developers, retrospective application of reduced development contributions, the introduction of the vacant site levy and "use it or lose it" arrangements in relation to planning permissions.

In addition, further to the Construction 2020 Strategy, a Dublin Housing Supply Co-ordination Task Force was established in June 2014 to examine the issue of housing supply in the Dublin area. It has reported that there are currently sufficient planning permissions, with no insurmountable infrastructural deficits, to deliver over 20,000 housing units in four Dublin local authority areas while a further 25,000 new homes are considered permissible on existing lands zoned for residential use if landowners and developers wished to seek those permissions. The objective of the Government now is to facilitate the activation of such permissions with a view to delivering on the associated housing supply to meet demand. The possible introduction of tax measures to incentivise the development of zoned and serviced land will be considered in this overall context.