Government slammed for failure to collect levies and leaving houses 'to rot'
A Sinn Fein TD has slammed “the Government’s total failure to tackle dereliction” as over €26 million in Derelict Sites Levies goes uncollected.
Sinn Fein TD for Dublin South West Sean Crowe has called out central government for the thousands of homes across the country that are “left to rot” and said “we must end the scourge of derelict homes in the midst of a housing crisis.” He criticised the announcement that Revenue will not begin collection on the levy until 2027, with no backdate on the collection. “This has essentially introduced a two year amnesty on the Derelict Sites Levy.” he said.
“There was a total of €26 million owed across the state in Derelict Sites Levies owed to Local Authorities as of 31 December 2024. That is the most recent information that the government is able to provide and is further testament to the lack of urgency that they are treating dereliction.
“That money could be used to bring buildings back into use, to deliver new homes and invest in local authorities. Speculators have been allowed to leave homes to rot while local authorities are given no additional resources to collect the levies.
“And I believe that the same lack of resources is affecting the quality of the Register. Apparently, there were only 23 derelict buildings in all of the South Dublin County Council area. That is the same as was recorded in County Leitrim, which has almost one tenth of the population size. We need to resource councils so that they can identify and target derelict homes in the midst of a housing crisis.
“People are taken to court for failing to pay their TV licence or a parking fine. How can speculators leave homes and buildings to rot with no punishment?”
Mr Crowe highlighted the broader issues of the housing crisis as he cited “heartbreak” young families go through “spending years on social housing waiting lists and HAP.” He said this disheartening to see when “perfectly good homes are left to go to rack and ruin just down the street.”
“ Sinn Fein have brought forward a bill that will force accountability for the collection of the Derelict Sites Levy and end the passing of the buck between government and local authorities.
“It’s long past time for the government to take this issue seriously. We need real action - urgently. This bill alone won’t solve dereliction, but it is a concrete action that the government can take in the here and now.”
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