Top civil servant ‘shocked’ by uncollected derelict site fines

One of the most senior civil servants in the Department of Housing has said he is “shocked” with his own team’s lack of engagement with local authorities over millions of euro of uncollected fines issued to derelict site owners.

The concerns came after councillors at Cork County Council queried why the local authority only collected €10,000 of the €1 million in fines levied on landowners who control €20 million worth of derelict property.

Terry Sheridan, ...