Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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415. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of sites placed on the vacant sites register of each local authority during 2021 and 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24379/23]

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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417. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount levied by each local authority in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 as a levy under section 15 of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, known as a vacant site levy, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24381/23]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 415 and 417 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 to this circular will provide my Department with an update on the amount of demands issued and the amount of levies collected or outstanding for each year since the levy was introduced in 2018. 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.