Vacant Properties
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-15
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John Cummins (FG), Waterford

That is what we are supporting from a Government perspective. We want the ground-floor retail to remain while utilising that underutilised space above the shop. It is a very significant intervention by the Government to provide up to €135,000 in grant support. There are obviously other schemes, like the repair and lease scheme, that have been used to good effect in areas, particularly in my own city and county of Waterford. The Senator mentioned the derelict property tax, which is progressing with the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Deputy Simon Harris. That is a particular focus for us because we now have many carrots across a whole suite of measures. I have said before in this House and the Dáil Chamber that my message is very clear to anybody who is sitting on vacant and derelict properties at a time of such housing need out there: it is simply unacceptable, and if you are not going to use the measures that have been introduced by the Government, then the stick is coming with the derelict property tax.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-15