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Derelict Sites

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 November 2025

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

Questions (641)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

641. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of derelict residential properties on the Derelict Sites Register in each local authority area; the number of enforcement actions taken in 2023 and 2024; and the number of properties brought back into use in each period. [63908/25]

View answer

Written answers

The Derelict Sites Act 1990 imposes a general duty on every owner and occupier of land to take all reasonable steps to ensure that land does not become, or continue to be, a derelict site as defined in the Act. The Act also imposes a duty on local authorities 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.

Each local authority maintains a derelict sites register under section 8 of the Act for sites which they consider are derelict under the Act. Sites entered on the derelict sites register are subject to an annual derelict sites levy of 7% of market value, which will continue to apply until the site is rendered non-derelict. However, the placing of sites on the register and the collecting of levies on those sites are part of the overall process that local authorities undertake with the owners of derelict sites they identify. Local authorities engage directly with site owners to try to bring these sites back into productive use and out of dereliction before they are formally listed on the register. This direct engagement can often lead to those units being brought back into productive use.

Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department providing information on the operation of the Derelict Sites Act in their functional areas. The derelict sites returns are collected in quarter 2 of the following year and my Department is finalising the 2024 returns and will publish them shortly.

A tabular statement setting out the information requested regarding the 2023 returns is attached.

Local Authority

No. of sites in respect of which a notice  / demand under the Act issued

No. Of these Sites where isues were resolved and required no further action

No. of Derelict Sites on Register at 31 December 2023

Carlow

25

0

16

Cavan

24

0

18

Clare

49

1

52

Cork County

33

0

71

Cork City

256

16

158

Donegal

0

0

18

Dublin City

273

33

109

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown

21

12

10

Fingal

46

7

6

Galway City

3

0

9

Galway County

20

10

3

Kerry

77

6

64

Kildare

42

2

42

Kilkenny

42

6

40

Laois

53

17

30

Leitrim 

15

1

23

Limerick City & County

425

121

427

Longford

3

0

35

Louth

76

2

34

Mayo

268

46

270

Meath

40

10

34

Monaghan

0

0

31

Offaly

23

7

17

Roscommon

77

12

33

Sligo

4

0

31

South Dublin

25

2

10

Tipperary

140

18

71

Waterford City & County

112

6

78

Westmeath

83

0

76

Wexford

136

11

85

Wicklow

5

2

2

Total

2396

348

1903

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