Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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657. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department considered including vacant sites owned by local authorities in the vacant site levy that will come into force as a result of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015; and the reason for not including sites in local authority and State body ownership under the terms of the levy. [46293/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 introduced a new measure, the vacant site levy, which is aimed at incentivising the development of vacant, under-utilised sites in urban areas.

Under the provisions of the Act, with effect from 2019 - in respect of 2018 - a levy will be charged on the registered owners of vacant sites in designated areas in local development plans and local area plans as being in need of, and suitable for, housing or in need of regeneration. The Act provides that residential or regeneration land regardless of ownership, either public or private, will be subject to the levy if it meets the criteria for a vacant site.