Paul Murphy demands compulsory purchase after canal houses collapse
Paul Murphy criticised the collapse of houses at the canal and demanded compulsory purchase of long-vacant properties to provide housing. He cited 160,000 vacant properties nationwide, 50,000 vacant for six years or more, and said over 15,000 people are living in emergency accommodation.
The collapsed houses at the canal were owned by the Construction Industry Federation and had been left empty, becoming increasingly derelict until they collapsed. They were placed on the derelict sites register only in June 2023, and the speaker said it does not appear that anything else happened since then.
Paul Murphy highlighted national figures: 160,000 vacant properties in total, with 50,000 vacant for six years or more, set against more than 15,000 people living in emergency accommodation.
He pressed the Taoiseach on whether councils should compulsorily purchase properties left vacant for long periods, urging that such homes not be allowed to sit empty during the housing crisis but be brought into public ownership to house those in need.
The Taoiseach said local authorities should be far more active in pursuing CPOs on derelict sites under the derelict sites act. He acknowledged that some complain the act is not strong enough but said he has never 'bought into' that view, warned of inertia in many local authorities, and called for dedicated teams to pursue dereliction.
Canal house collapse and ownership
The collapsed houses at the canal were owned by the Construction Industry Federation and had been left empty, becoming increasingly derelict until they collapsed. They were placed on the derelict sites register only in June 2023, and the speaker said it does not appear that anything else happened since then.
National vacancy figures and housing pressure
Paul Murphy highlighted national figures: 160,000 vacant properties in total, with 50,000 vacant for six years or more, set against more than 15,000 people living in emergency accommodation.
Call for compulsory purchase by councils
He pressed the Taoiseach on whether councils should compulsorily purchase properties left vacant for long periods, urging that such homes not be allowed to sit empty during the housing crisis but be brought into public ownership to house those in need.
Taoiseach response on CPOs and the derelict sites act
The Taoiseach said local authorities should be far more active in pursuing CPOs on derelict sites under the derelict sites act. He acknowledged that some complain the act is not strong enough but said he has never 'bought into' that view, warned of inertia in many local authorities, and called for dedicated teams to pursue dereliction.
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Transcript
The collapse of the houses at the canal yesterday encapsulates the scandal of dereliction and vacancy in this country. There are 160,000 vacant properties, 50,000 of them have been vacant for six years or more. Despite the immense housing crisis, despite the fact that over 15,000 people are living in emergency accommodation right now, the government has done very little to address this. These homes were owned by the Construction Industry Federation, the lobbyists for the builders in this country. They were left empty and left to become increasingly derelict over time until such a point that they collapsed yesterday. They were put on the derelict sites register only in June 2023, but it does not appear that anything else happened with it since then. Do you agree, Taoiseach, that the councils should be compulsorily purchasing properties that are left vacant for long periods of time? Do not allow these houses to sit vacant during a housing crisis, bring them into public ownership and use them to provide housing to the very many people who need it. Deputy Murphy, I do believe that local authorities should be far more active in the pursuit of CPOs on derelict sites. There is a derelict sites act. Some complain that it is not strong enough. I have never bought into that. I have always sensed in a lot of local authorities there is a degree of inertia around pursuing the derelict sites act and its implementation. There should be dedicated teams that should be actively pursuing those issues.