Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he has taken to tackle the problem of land banking and hoarding; if he is satisfied that these steps will be successful in releasing suitable land for building in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45290/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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In the context of the current housing supply shortage, the Government recognises the pressing need to ensure that land  that is suitable for the development of housing, in urban areas in particular, is not held back by developers.  A range of measures are being implemented under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan to ensure that such land is brought forward for development at the earliest opportunity.

The vacant site levy, provided for in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, is designed to incentivise the development of vacant and under-utilised sites in urban areas for housing and regeneration purposes.  A 3% levy becomes liable for payment on such lands from January 2018.  As announced in Budget 2018, the 3% levy rate which applies in the first year of the vacant site appearing on the register will be increased to 7% in year 2 and subsequent years, resulting in an effective vacant site levy of 10% over the first two years.  Any levy outstanding will remain a charge on the land concerned until paid and therefore there will be a cumulative effect associated with not activating a site for development.

Furthermore, in order to address the issue of the hoarding of residentially zoned land, a number of amendments have been tabled in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016, which is currently at Dáil Report Stage.  The amendments proposed are collectively aimed at tightening up existing provisions to ensure that extensions of duration of planning permissions cannot be granted where substantial development work has not been carried out during the initial life of the permission, with a particular focus on housing developments.

In addition, aligned with the Budget announcement, the recently published Finance Bill 2017 provides for a broader housing supply measure through amending the seven-year Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exemption to allow owners of qualifying assets to sell those assets, within a specified period, and still enjoy a full CGT relief.  The Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform also signalled his intention to introduce a rebate from stamp duty on development land, details of which will be introduced by way of a Committee Stage amendment to the Bill. 

Rebuilding Ireland attaches a particular priority to using publicly owned lands for the delivery of housing as quickly as possible, supported by the acceleration in Exchequer-funded social housing and the delivery of more homes for sale and rent at lower and more affordable price points. All local authority housing sites and an initial set of broader State-owned sites have now been mapped and can be accessed at:

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Local authorities and the Housing Agency are now preparing strategic development plans for the prioritised development of these sites.