John Cummins
Waterford · Fine Gael · Ireland
“To ensure a structured and comprehensive examination of the issues, the task force was organised under four work themes: structures, funding, functions and governance and accountability within the local government sector.”
“At the outset, I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this important issue this morning. I am acutely aware of the strong interest that exists within this House in matters relating to local government.”
“Engagement took place with a wide range of organisations and representative bodies, including employer and employee representatives, community and voluntary organisations, academic experts and other key stakeholders.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2026, Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.”
“In that context, I welcome the opportunity to address the House and to provide an update on the progress made today in advancing that recommendation and strengthening local democracy more generally.”
“The task force was charged with delivering its report within the challenging timeframe of six to nine months. However, considerable preparatory work already completed across the sector provided a strong foundation and enabled that timeline to be achieved. The task force, as the Senator rightly pointed out, was chaired by Mr.”
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“Town regeneration officers and vacant homes officers are in place throughout local government, working with the wider local authority teams to address vacancy and dereliction issues and increase the use of legislative mechanisms. These include the Derelict Sites Act, in conjunction with the town centre first policy, as well as a number of other measures, including the town centre first heritage revival scheme, THRIVE, which is a co-funded scheme through the ERDF. This is regenerating important heritage buildings nationally, which I know Senator Noonan is also passionate about. I am confident these measures introduced under the Housing for All plan will have the desired effect of addressing vacancy and dereliction and making more efficient use of our existing housing stock.”
“This provides property owners, members of the public, local authorities and those involved in the construction industry with clear and practical guidance on the refurbishment of existing buildings for residential use and how current regulatory requirements that apply to common existing building types can be met. From a regulatory perspective, the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2018 provide clarity on the application of disability access certificates to works on existing buildings being brought back into use. The Building Regulations (Part B Amendment) Regulations 2024 and Technical Guidance Document B 2024 support the reuse of existing buildings by simplifying, clarifying and rationalising fire safety requirements.”
“If it is able to be done by Waterford City and County Council, there is absolutely no reason it cannot be replicated by every local authority in the country. This is something about which I am speaking to local authorities. We have also had the introduction of the extension to the end of this year of planning regulations exempting certain vacant commercial premises, including vacant spaces over shops, from the requirement to obtain planning permission for a change of use to residential accommodation. To date, this has resulted in the notification of almost 3,500 housing units being brought back into use. To supplement the change of use for exempted development regulations, which I have just mentioned, in 2024, the Department published an update to the Bringing Back Homes manual.”
“It is important to state that while there have been 8,000 approvals, drawdown was mentioned by some Senators. The way the scheme is structured, the payment of the grant is on completion of the project. As the 13 months roll on, there will be even more drawdown of the grant. I acknowledge some of the calls that have been made with regard to phased payments. We also have the repair and lease scheme, which provides up to €80,000 per unit of the upfront cost of bringing vacant units back into productive use for social housing. This is clawed back as an offset against the rent over the course of the lease term. This has been used to a great extent in Waterford. A total of 50% of all repair and lease units in the State are in Waterford.”
“We also have a new CPO activation programme, which was launched in April 2023. This programme provides for a proactive, planned and systemic approach to addressing vacancy and dereliction by local authorities and provides guidance and support for local authorities to actively use their legislative powers to compulsorily acquire vacant and derelict properties where engagement with owners has been unsuccessful. A number of Senators mentioned the very successful vacant property refurbishment grant scheme which was introduced by the Government. It provides up to €50,000 towards the refurbishment of vacant properties for occupation as principal private residences and up to €70,000 for the refurbishment of derelict properties for this purpose.”
“As Senators are no doubt aware, the Government already has a comprehensive package of measures in place to address vacancy and dereliction, including a town centre first policy approach, which aims to combat vacancy and dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. We also have targeted investment underpinned by substantial funding from a number of funding streams, including the rural regeneration and development fund and a €150 million fund from the urban regeneration and development fund, which has been made available to local authorities to acquire vacant and derelict properties and sites for reuse or sale. It is certainly one of the areas on which I engage with local authorities when I go throughout the country to ensure they are drawing on the fund which has been provided by the Government.”
“We also note the matters raised in the Bill relate to ongoing measures and actions the Government is progressing, and that certain elements of the Bill raise concerns, which will I set out towards the end of my contribution. As a result, the Government believes it is appropriate to defer the Bill for 12 months. It is important to state this certainly does not mean we will postpone action for 12 months. That is absolutely not the case. The Private Members' Bill proposes to provide for the identification, management, restoration and bringing back into use derelict and vacant buildings and to simplify and expedite the planning and building control approval processes in this regard.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to take on behalf of the Government Second Stage of the Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill, which has been tabled by Senator Malcolm Noonan. This is an area I am exceptionally passionate about. I have done extensive work on the issue of vacancy and dereliction in my county of Waterford, and I have seen many of the measures implemented by the Government put to very good use there. I can confirm the Government has agreed to a timed amendment for the reading of the Bill, having regard to the well-intentioned spirit in which it has been introduced and the underlying objectives it is intended to achieve.”
“It is also important to ensure councillors are engaged at the earliest point in decision-making regardless of whether it is a reserved function or an executive function and that councillors are empowered to be able to hold the Executive to account by getting data that they are able to utilise. I referenced that in my opening remarks. I thank all the Members for their contributions. I wish the task force well with its work when it is approved by the Government, hopefully within the next week. I thank everybody in advance for their service on the committee because they have an extensive body of work to do.”
“As I said, it will form a basis for that. With regard to the comments by both Senators Byrne, we need to ensure that we support the work of councillors. There is scope in the task force terms of reference to make recommendations in that respect. Suffice it to say, a really important body of wort is going to be conducted over the next period. I am passionate about local government. However, I need recommendations to come forward that are practical, implementable and that will strengthen that relationship for local councillors to ensure the principle of subsidiarity is maintained and strengthened in our system of local democracy.”
“We now have 95 municipal districts that represent 100% of the population, with Cork, Dublin and Galway having their own area committees. That is something the task force will examine. Senator Noonan touched on the EU unit within local authorities. There is a role for joined-up thinking between the assemblies with regard to maximising the drawdown of EU funding. There is a common theme in what Senator Cosgrove and others said regarding financial autonomy, and that will be examined as part of the task force. As regards the remarks of Senators Lynch and O'Loughlin, I outlined the make-up of the committee. Senators Keogan and Kyne also referenced town councils and I hope I have addressed that issue for them. Senator Black is right in referencing the huge body of work that was done by the Seanad consultation committee.”
“It is important to advise that, with regard to a local authority member who is temporarily unable to fulfil their duties due to illness, the Local Government (Remuneration of Local Authority Members) Regulations 2021 provide that a member of a local authority may be absent for up to six months without any reduction to their remuneration payment, and that was a significant change that was made. I hope Senator Fitzpatrick will agree that I am getting on with it, in terms of what I have outlined there with respect to the task force and its make-up. Senators Collins and Andrews and a number of other Senators raised the matter of town councils. It is important that we acknowledge the former town councils were imperfect. There were 80 town councils that represented approximately 14% of the population.”
“It is important to say that while it is not index-linked, it is related to the remuneration at the time the member will turn 50. That is an important clarification. Senator Duffy raised items relating to planning, which I know he is very passionate about, and he gave a number of examples. I will continue to engage with him on it. Senator Boyhan raised the issue of libraries and research, and I join him in complimenting them on the excellent work they carry out. It is important to say, with respect to the work the Seanad has done on this, that I see a role for engagement with Members of the Seanad by the task force. I do not want to go into too much detail because, obviously, those proposals will go to Government next week. Senator Joe Conway raised issues regarding local authority members who may be subject to illness.”
“I hope it will be able to bring recommendations forward to me within nine months. I will move to some of the items raised by Senators with regard to councillors. I also want to put on record my thanks and appreciation to every person who is representing their local community on a council. They give of their time and they are essentially the first responders on the front line of local democracy. I know from a personal perspective that I certainly would not be able to perform my function as a TD for Waterford without the support of my eight Fine Gael councillors there. The work done by councillors of all parties and none, including Independents, is very important and it is important that we acknowledge them. Senator PJ Murphy raised a number of items but he touched on the gratuity piece, as did a couple of other Senators.”
“That is why I will be proposing that it will be timebound so as to be able to bring forward recommendations that are implementable by me, as a number of Senators have referenced. That is important, as is the task force drawing on the reports that have already been commissioned from the Seanad consultation committee and the monitoring group report from the EU - I met that delegation yesterday in the Custom House along with members of AILG and the Irish delegation for the monitoring group - and the two reports already commissioned by the AILG. It is important to say, as I said in my opening remarks, that we are not starting from scratch with this. We are starting with a significant body of work that I hope the task force will be able to draw on, analysing all of the items across four pillars.”
“It is important to say, with regard to councillors' input into that, that I met the AILG and LAMA and I assure them that the terms of reference I am bringing forward on this will reflect the membership make-up they requested, in terms of their own membership in the AILG and LAMA. There will also be representatives from the executive, the National Oversight and Audit Commission and the local government audit service, a member of my Department and independent experts. The chairperson will be announced following approval by Cabinet. I hope a memo will go before Cabinet next week in regard to this, and that we will have the task force up and running quickly thereafter. I share Senators' concerns regarding this being an elongated process.”
“I thank the Acting Chair, and I thank all the Senators for their contributions this evening. It was a really useful exercise to hear from them. A total of 17 Senators contributed to the discussion this evening and that shows the interest this Chamber has in local government, as I have myself. I will start by addressing elements of the questions raised by Senators around the urgency of establishing the task force, and determining its make-up and timing. A number of Senators raised that. Then I will do my best to go through some of the individual items that have been raised by councillors. With regard to the membership of the task force, it is my intention that it will be made up of no more than 14 members. It will consist of a number of bodies and representative groups.”
“Some may require legislative change and others may not. I look forward to hearing the contributions from Members. It is important that councillors' voices are heard on that task force. They will be an integral part of it. I know all Senators will have their own views on the membership and the terms of reference, which perhaps I can get into a bit more in my closing remarks. I look forward to hearing what Senators have to say on this task force and the significant body of work that will be undertaken by it when it is established very shortly.”
“A substantial body of work has been completed on this issue, including the Seanad Public Consultation Committee report on the future of local democracy. Other organisations have also carried out extensive research in this area, including the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the 21st Century Councillor in Irish Local Government by the AILG, and the Building Stronger Local Government report by the AILG in November of last year. It is my intention that the significant body of work that has already been done as part of this will form the basis for the deliberations of the task force that is being established, that the foundations that have, essentially, been put in place will be built on, and that recommendations can come forward to me, as Minister of State, that I will be able to implement.”
“The programme for Government also states that the task force should examine the timely reporting of the National Oversight and Audit Committee, NOAC, and engagement with public representatives, which is an important piece. NOAC does really good work but unless councillors are provided with information in a timely fashion, enabling them to compare the performance of their local authority with that of others, they cannot hold the executive to account. I expect that to be a significant element of the recommendations coming forward. Finally, the programme for Government sets out that the task force should consider the proportion of local authority members to population. It also contains commitments to examine how to deliver greater diversity within the sector.”
“The Seanad report called for greater revenue-raising powers for local government and I am sure that is something the task force will examine under the finance pillar. The programme for Government states that the task force should examine rebalancing power between elected councillors and the executive to ensure that elected officials have a right to be consulted on a greater range of decisions and a right to know of all other decisions in a timely manner. It also states that mechanisms should be examined to increase the accountability of the chief executive and directors of services to councillors for executive decisions.”
“It also states that the task force should examine how to strengthen the framework and powers of municipal districts and area committees. The task force will also consider if there is a role for a small number of town-focused bodies to be introduced on a phased, regional basis to provide a focal point for raising the concerns of large towns and co-ordinating town-focused activities. It is not intended that any proposals in this respect that may be forthcoming from the task force would interfere in the parity of structures and powers at sub-county level across the State. The programme for Government specifies that the task force should consider granting councillors greater input and control over the development and implementation of local authority budgets and mechanisms for enhanced physical autonomy.”
“The programme for Government recognises the vital importance of local government and states that the Government will convene a local democracy task force with the local government sector to finalise a programme for the reform and strengthening of local government to ensure more effective and efficient delivery of services and the implementation of Government policy for citizens. The programme for Government specifies that the task force should consider the principle of subsidiarity and give consideration to devolving more powers to local authorities for local services. The Seanad report called for the devolution of more powers to local authorities through the legislative process to strengthen and enhance local democracy and the delivery of additional local services.”
“I was honoured to be part of Fine Gael's programme negotiating team. As the Cathaoirleach rightly referenced, the establishment of the local democracy task force was a key recommendation emerging from last year's Seanad Public Consultation Committee report on the future of local democracy. I am pleased to have the opportunity to address progress on this matter. To begin, I will give Members a little bit of background to the establishment of the local democracy task force.”
“I thank the Members of the Seanad for extending their invitation to me to attend. I was delighted to accept it. I always welcome the opportunity to engage on the matters related to local government. It is something that I hold dear, having served as a councillor for 11 years and as mayor on two occasions. I am very aware that Members of this House have a huge interest in local government affairs. All Members of this House are dedicated advocates of strong local government and as Minister of State with responsibility for local government, I really appreciate their engagement on matters relating to local government. This is my first opportunity since being appointed at the end of January to address the House on the issue of the local democracy task force, arising out of a commitment in the programme for Government.”
“I accept that pre-connection and connection agreements have to be issued to developers in a timely fashion. The organisation has assured me it is investing the resources to ensure that happens. I will continue to engage with it to ensure those timelines to issue those pre-connection and connection agreements are reduced, as well as assisting it with its asks about the consenting process. By working together, we can achieve progress in this area.”
“It is important to say that Uisce Éireann has invested in resources and people to tackle this issue, which was cited in the meeting I had with it. I know it is determined to keep pace with the industry demand, which is in line with our own expectations, to facilitate infrastructure and housing delivery. A number of initiatives have been introduced by Uisce Éireann in recent years, including capacity registers for water and wastewater. We also have the first mover scheme so we do not penalise developers who move on a land bank first and to be able to facilitate sequential development. We also have the self-lay accreditation scheme that allows developers to use accredited contractors to do the works themselves on site. There have been a number of initiatives to try to improve the situation.”
“I do not know if any of those are particularly relevant to the Senator's individual case of 44 units that she referred to in Cahir, but I am informed that the case she is referring to was submitted in early February. It is currently under review by Uisce Éireann's design team to understand the available capacity in the system to facilitate the development and any additional works that may be necessary. An update will be given to the developer in the coming weeks.”
“Uisce Éireann actively encourages submissions to be made as early as possible in the process to allow for full assessments to be completed because technical challenges may arise that may impact timelines. For example, detailed hydraulic modelling and additional technical assessments may be required in areas where water services and networks or treatment capacity are constrained. Where additional information or clarification is required with respect to land ownership, access or third party constraints associated with a particular site or developer, connection offers may be reliant on a number of customers entering connection agreements with Uisce Éireann at the same time. This can sometimes lead to delays while engagement with multiple parties is ongoing.”
“We had an upfront and honest conversation about what I could do to assist the organisation in streamlining the consenting process for projects. I also made it very clear that I expect it to deliver pre-connection and connection agreements within agreed timeframes, which, regrettably, have not been happening at a sufficiently high rate to date. I am advised that the 16 weeks the Senator referenced is an indicative timeframe for connection applications, with more straightforward applications taking a shorter period. Uisce Éireann notes that larger and more complicated developments or developments in areas of already limited capacity require additional time and resources to be deployed.”
“I thank Senator Goldsboro for raising this issue. I have to advise that the Water Services Acts 2007 to 2020 sets out the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and wastewater services by Uisce Éireann. These services are matters for Uisce Éireann which has a statutory responsibility for all aspects of water service planning, delivery and operation at a national, regional and local level. The scope, prioritisation and progression of individual projects are matters for Uisce Éireann and approved through its own board and internal governance structures under section 7 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. Neither I, nor my Department, have operational function in such matters. That being said, I have engaged with Uisce Éireann in recent weeks on the very topic the Senator has raised, along with other items.”
“I thank the Deputy. Allocations have been made to local authorities in the last week in relation to housing adaptation grants. There has been significant change in grants following a review last year. The mobility aid grant has gone from €6,000 to €8,000, the housing aid for older persons grant has increased from €8,000 to €10,700 and the housing adaptation grant has gone from €30,000 to €40,000. I do not have the exact figure, but, from memory, I think that approximately €2.7 million in Exchequer funding was allocated to the local authority in Louth last week. I can get the exact figure for the Deputy. The Department is open to continued engagement with all local authorities. We have given further allocations in the past, but there will be significant uplift of upwards of 30% across many local authorities in light of the changes.”
“It is not; it is both. It is only by using all levers at the disposal of the State that we will tackle the challenges we have.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Obviously, regarding the retention or otherwise of rent pressure zones options are being provided to the Minister. Those options are under consideration. The Government is committed to the delivery of more affordable homes. Cost rental has a key part to play in that regard. We have seen a significant ramp-up in activity on the part of the Land Development Agency and the approved housing bodies through the cost rental equity loan scheme. We want to see the activation of the secure tenancy affordable rental, STAR, scheme a lot more by the private sector. It is not a case of either-or; we need to see private sector investment in our housing market. We also need to see State investment. The way it is presented by the Deputy all the time is that it is a case of either or.”
“Briefly, I am working to finalise the terms of reference of the local democracy task force to bring them to Government as quickly as possible. I want to see this task force established as quickly as possible. We are working on the terms of reference and I hope to see that body of work as soon as possible to be able to present options to Government for consideration.”
“Instead, the Act saw the introduction of 95 municipal districts, representing 100% of the population, in 25 of the 31 local authority areas at sub-county level, while area committees operate in Cork, Dublin and Galway, and in metropolitan areas within the Limerick and Waterford areas. We have not costed the re-establishment of town councils. We are finalising the terms of reference for the task force at present and hope to be able to bring them to Government shortly.”
“I propose to take Question Nos. 15 and 111 together. I thank the Deputy for his interest in this matter. Having served in local government for 11 years, I value the role of our councillors and of local democracy. This specific commitment is contained in the programme for Government. I have worked extensively on this since taking up this role a number of weeks ago. Both the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I have engaged with the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, and the Local Authorities Members Association, LAMA, the representative bodies for local councillors, in this regard. As the Deputy rightly pointed out, the Local Government Reform Act 2014 dissolved 80 town councils, which represented just 14% of the population. The previous town council system also led to a duplication of administrative and electoral terms.”
“We want levies to be collected as early as possible. If a property is sold subsequently, the levy is a liability on it and will be collected at that point.”
“I thank Deputies Gould and Burke. I was going to reference the CPO piece in my response. CPOs are a useful tool to be able to claim title, as Deputy Burke rightly pointed out. We have given significant resources to local authorities under call 3 of the URDF, specifically for a CPO programme. In the context of the local authorities I have visited so far, I have asked why they are not using the CPO process to the extent it should be used. Neither the Deputies nor I want to see properties lying vacant and idle. We want them brought back into productive use. The carrot-and-stick approach has worked for certain local authorities. Some authorities have been better than others in utilising the CPO process. It is important to say, however, that there is a charge and liability where a levy is applied. This is collected by local authorities.”
“They are a charge on that land or property, so there may be a time lag in collection. Where something is sold, it is a liability on that land and is collected by local authorities. We want to see collection happening but we also want to see these lands and properties activated.”
“As the Deputy knows, enforcement of the levy is a matter for local authorities. I see the carrot-and-stick approach having worked to pretty good effect in some local authorities. What I am talking about is the carrot of the likes of the repair and lease scheme, which has worked exceptionally well in my county of Waterford. About 50% of the national total of repair lease units have been delivered in Waterford, with one- and two-bed units in city centre and town centre areas not being used for social housing purposes. Of course, there is the stick of the derelict sites levy and, where required, compulsory purchase orders, CPOs. The collection of the levy is a byproduct, obviously, but I am sure what we both want is for those properties and lands to be brought back into productive use.”
“We have written to all local authorities, reminding them of their obligation to submit their year-end data for 2024. As yet, we do not have all that data collated.”
“Each local authority maintains a derelict sites register under section 8 of the Act for sites which they consider to be derelict. 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. This is an increase from the previous 3%, as the Deputy knows. Local authorities are required to submit an annual return to my Department, providing information on the operation of the operation of the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in their functional area. The derelict sites returns are collated in quarter 2 of the following year. A total of 1,913 sites were listed on local authority registers as of 31 December 2023. In conjunction with local authorities, my Department is engaged in the process of collating the 2024 figures.”
“I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important issue. I know he is passionate about it, as am I. We sat on the joint committee together previously. This is an issue that the Deputy raises consistently. Both the Minister, Deputy Browne, and I are committed to ensuring that it is addressed. We are reviewing the implementation of the Derelict Sites Act through engagement with local authorities. As the Deputy knows, the Act 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 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 derelict.”
“This has to be a priority for everyone. It is not just for us in here but for every local authority member and executive. We will be very clear in that. The Minister, Deputy Browne, and I are visiting local authorities. This is a top priority for us and we will ensure what has been agreed by those in this Chamber and in the Seanad is translated as quickly as possible into development plans so that proposals can be brought forward for housing purposes. We will continue to engage with local authorities on a consistent basis in relation to this. They know the expectation is that there will be a varying of development plans. As I said in my initial response, we are working on finalising what that will mean on a local authority-by-local authority basis to bring forward that land for development purposes.”
“I thank the Deputy. I hear the point he is raising. There is a statutory process in terms of varying county development plans. It is a reserved function of members. We will be issuing clear direction on a local authority-by-local authority basis in terms of the expectations and quantum of zoned land that will be required. There will be headroom. We are working on finalising the methodology around that at present within the Department. It is imperative that we have sufficient quantum of zoned land within our areas to be able to bring forward housing development. The reason we are taking the approach we are taking is that we cannot afford to wait. There will be that direction. The actual varying of the development plan, as the Deputy knows, having been a councillor for a considerable period like myself, is a reserved function of members.”
“We want to see what has been agreed under the NPF translated to a local basis as urgently as possible. I will inform local authorities of that in the coming weeks.”
“The revised NPF facilitates planning for the delivery of in excess of 50,000 additional housing units per annum nationally, every year to 2040. Given the urgent need to ensure that the updated housing requirements can be incorporated into the planning system as quickly as possible to address housing need and demand, local authorities will be required to vary their current development plans, in line with a clear policy direction, which I intend to issue in the coming weeks. The provision of updated planned housing requirements on a local authority by local authority basis will also ensure that sufficient headroom is given to ensure competition and choice is available to those who wish to bring forward proposed housing developments. This is a key priority for us in government.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We have spoken several times about this. He is passionate and anxious to see what has been agreed under the NPF translated into the local development plans, as am I and as is the Minister. The final revised NPF was approved by Government in April and passed by the Oireachtas last week. This concluded the revision process and allows the revised NPF to take effect in the planning system. The revised NPF provides the basis for the review and updating of regional spatial and economic strategies and local authority development plans to reflect matters such as updated housing figures, projected jobs growth and renewable energy capacity allocations, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and a range of other purposes.”
“I did not interrupt Deputy Gould. Is he going to continue shouting people down? If the Deputy asks a question, I would appreciate it if he gave me the respect of being able to answer it. From 2022, to the end of 2024, local authorities carried out approximately 5,793 stock condition surveys. In 2025, more than €10 million has been provided to local authorities for planned maintenance. We will continue to move to that approach and continue to support local authorities through the voids programme.”