Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2013
628. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount his Department has spent on tackling dereliction of buildings, especially improving shop fronts over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27719/13]
View answerUnder the Derelict Sites Act 1990, local authorities are required to take all reasonable steps, including the exercise of appropriate statutory powers, to ensure that any land within their functional area does not become or continue to be a derelict site. To this end they have been given substantial powers under the Act in relation to any such sites, including powers to require specified measures to be taken in relation to a derelict site, to impose a levy on derelict sites or to compulsorily acquire any derelict site. I expect local authorities to use their statutory powers as they consider appropriate and have no function in relation to tackling derelict sites.
