Vol. 474 No. 1
117 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for the Environment if he will introduce powers to take action where houses in residential areas are left unoccupied for years and cause great nuisance and dampness to neighbours, in view of the fact that the derelict sites legislation cannot be currently used if the house is basically intact. [2569/97]
Under the Derelict Sites Act, 1990, local authorities were given an extensive range of new powers to deal with derelict sites, which are defined in that Act as including any lands which detract from, or are likely to detract from, the amenity of any land in the neighbourhood because of the existence on the land of ruinous, derelict or dangerous buildings or because of the neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition of any structures on the land in question.
Having regard to the scope of these powers, it is not clear that there is a need for further legislative proposals in this area.
