Debate contribution: Dilapidation Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Aoife Finnegan on 16 June 2026.

MLA: Ms Aoife Finnegan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 16 June 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Dilapidation Bill: Consideration Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5624072

Text

I absolutely appreciate that, and that is why we agree with this in principle. I see that in Newry and Armagh every day of the week, and people come to my constituency office to express their frustration. However, we need to make this workable. It is not a huge ask for the Minister to listen to those who will have to implement the Bill's provisions and make those changes, and we have the opportunity to do that. We recognise that the Minister's amendments in this area are an attempt to address some of the concerns raised during the Committee's scrutiny of the Bill. However, acknowledging a problem is not the same as resolving it. The Minister's amendments do not fully address the wider concerns about cost recovery. For that reason, while we recognise the intent behind the amendments and the objective of creating a stronger enforcement framework, we remain concerned that the necessary protections and resources are not in place. Therefore, we will abstain on some of the amendments. The report by the Assembly's independent Research and Information Service (RaISe), which was prepared by Dr Ryan Kee, is particularly relevant to the debate. It is important to state that the report does not recommend supporting or opposing the Bill, but it provides independent evidence that reinforces many of the concerns raised by the local government sector. It challenges the assumption that the legislation will be cost-neutral. It highlights evidence from Building Control professionals who have questioned whether councils will, in practice, always be able to recover their costs and warned that councils could ultimately face significant financial liabilities. The report also identifies the potential scale of the challenge, with approximately 34,500 vacant properties across the North. Of course, the fact that a property is vacant does not automatically mean that it is dilapidated or dangerous. However, if even a small proportion require intervention, councils could be dealing with thousands of additional enforcement cases. That raises serious questions around staffing, expertise and capacity. The report also raises concerns about whether the proposed fixed penalties would provide a sufficient deterrent. Evidence from Building Control professionals suggests that remediation works can cost between approximately £80,000 and £90,000 in standard cases and rise to approaching £2 million in more complex cases. Against that backdrop, some owners may be prepared to absorb a £500 fixed penalty rather than treat it as an incentive to carry out necessary works.

403 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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