Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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415. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government what powers he has to compel local authorities to form a vacant sites register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22933/23]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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416. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on the administration of the vacant sites levy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22934/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 and 416 together.

Under the vacant site levy provisions in the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015 (the Act), planning authorities were required to establish a register of vacant sites in their functional areas, beginning on 1 January 2017.

The Act empowered planning authorities to apply a vacant site levy of 3% of the market valuation of relevant properties which were listed on local authority vacant site registers in 2018, which relevant owners were liable to pay in January 2019. The rate of the levy increased to 7% for sites listed on local authority vacant sites registers from 2019 onwards which site owners became liable to pay in January of the following year.

My Department recently issued Circular Letter PL 03/2023 requesting the submission of a progress report on the implementation and collection of the levy by each local authority in respect of 2022. The returns received are currently being processed and verified with local authorities and the information requested will be provided as soon as the final returns have been compiled.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent)
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417. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 218 of 6 December 2022, if a local authority (details supplied) has made its returns for the derelict sites register 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22935/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in their functional areas. The return from the local authority referred to in respect of 2022 was received in my Department on 24 March 2023.

The return noted that notices or demands were issued by the Council under the Act in respect of 250 sites in 2022; these notices included the need for the owner to undertake minor works on the sites in question in order to avoid being listed on the register. There were 39 sites listed on the register at 1 January 2022. 18 sites were added during the year and 16 removed. This resulted in 41 sites being listed on the register at 31 December 2022. In addition, the return noted that 3 derelict sites were acquired compulsorily by the Council in 2022.