Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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423. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which an unfinished building is added to his Department's list of officially listed derelict sites (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44802/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not maintain a list of officially listed derelict sites, as referred to in the Question.

The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the land does not become or continue to be a derelict site. It also imposes a duty on local authorities to take all reasonable steps (including the exercise of any appropriate statutory powers) to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site.  To this end, local authorities have been given substantial powers under the Act in relation to any such sites, including powers to require specified measures to be taken in relation to a derelict site, to impose a levy on sites which are included in the local authority’s derelict sites register, or to compulsorily acquire any derelict site.

Under the Act, local authorities are required to maintain a derelict sites register, which includes the name and address of each owner and occupier, where these can be ascertained by reasonable enquiry, of any land which, in the opinion of the local authority, is a derelict site. Under section 8(5) of the Act, a copy of the derelict sites register for any local authority can be inspected at the offices of that authority during office hours. This facilitates members of the public to engage, if they so wish, with their local authority in relation to addressing individual derelict sites.

Before including a site on the register, local authorities are required to give notice to any owner and occupier of their intention to include the site on the register, and must consider any written representations that any owner or occupier may make before deciding whether to include the site on the register. Local authorities are also required to send notice of the inclusion of a site on the register to the owner and occupier of the site.

I understand from Kildare County Council that the particular site in question is not included in their Derelict Sites Register.  It is open to any person to contact a local authority in relation to a particular site which may be considered a derelict site for the purposes of the Act.