Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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321. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for the number of staff employed in Cork County Council to address vacancy and dereliction; the population size served by the local authority area of Cork county; the number of vacant or derelict properties in the local authority area issued with compulsory purchase orders in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and the amount of derelict site levies collected. [33457/25]

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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322. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of staff employed in Limerick city and County Council to address vacancy and dereliction; the population size served by the local authority area of Limerick city and county; the number of vacant or derelict properties in the local authority area issued with compulsory purchase orders in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and the amount of derelict site levies collected. [33458/25]

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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323. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for the number of staff employed in Waterford city and County Council to address vacancy and dereliction; the population size served by the local authority area of Waterford city and county; the number of vacant or derelict properties in the local authority area issued with compulsory purchase orders in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and the amount of derelict site levies collected. [33459/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 321, 322 and 323 together.

While my Department has a role in strategic workforce planning within the local government sector, Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.

However, my Department provides funding of €60,000 per annum to support each local authority's Vacant Homes Office, including a Vacant Homes Officer (VHO), this was increased from €50,000 in 2022. This supports the commitment in Housing for All to ensure that the VHO role in each local authority is full time. The provision of central funding reinforces the capacity of local authorities, including through the important role of VHOs, to ensure a dedicated focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction. Since 2023, all 31 local authorities have a full-time VHO in place.

Under the Derelict Sites Act 1990, 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.

A property can be placed on the Derelict Site Register where it is deemed by a local authority to satisfy the criteria under section 3 of the Act i.e. (i) it is in a dangerous or ruinous condition; (ii) it is in a neglected or unsightly condition; or (iii) there is a presence of litter, waste or debris on the site. Section 8(5) of the Act, provides that "The register shall be kept at the offices of the local authority and shall be available for inspection at the offices of the local authority during office hours."

Local authorities are empowered under a number of statutes to acquire land, by agreement or compulsorily, for the purposes of performing any of their functions. Specifically, the number of derelict sites acquired within their functional area by local authorities under the provisions of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 (the Act) is submitted to my Department by local authorities as part of their annual return on the operation of the Act. My Department does not however gather data on the compulsory acquisition or agreement processes initiated. The number of sites acquired under the Act by Cork County Council, Limerick City & County Council and Waterford City & County Council either by way of compulsory acquisition or by agreement, and the levies collected, in the years 2022 and 2023 are provided in the Table attached. My Department is currently engaged with the local authorities in the process of collecting and collating the 2024 annual returns.