Deputy Bernard Allen, who is the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said that a billion euro worth of housing nationally is not in use and named Limerick City as one of the worst offending authorities for large numbers of vacant properties at 163 (as per the latest available figures in 2005).

Ger Dillon, Senior Executive Officer in the Housing Department, said that “taking the situation in context” 270 of the 330 vacant local units are in areas slated for regeneration.

With roughly 2,800 units on the council’s books, this means that 11.7% of them are vacant—over double the 5% from three years cited by Deputy Allen.

“In most of those cases in regeneration areas, our intention would be to demolish and rebuild them. There is an awareness and understanding that this is what will be done. There are also a vacant properties which are awaiting redevelopment such a number of units in Vizes Court and John’s Square.”

“The older properties at Vizes Court, for example, are going to be replaced by a new block in phase two of our development there. In effect, we only have 17 or 18 properties, which are waiting to be refurbished and re-let. We are devoting resources to that. When you consider that we have 2,800 rental properties, that is a very small number.”

Mr Dillon added that properties which need extensive refurbishment i.e. for fire damage may be vacant for longer as they await the proper work to be carried out.

“In the majority of cases, vacant properties require significant repair works. Since 2005, we have demolished a significant number of properties throughout the city. We have replaced apartments with houses in areas like Rathbane. The figures show the effects of regeneration and development strands in other areas.”

Deputy Allen said that he would be calling on the Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to account for the numbers of vacant properties and will investigate if the directors of local housing departments can be brought before the Public Accounts Committee to explain the situation.

“We wont have the 2007 figures for a while but I’m not optimistic they will show an improvement in the situation. It is totally unacceptable that at a time when housing waiting lists are at record highs such a large amount of property should be vacant. No doubt there are acceptable reasons why some houses are empty such as regeneration schemes but not on this scale,” he said.

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