Mark Wall says there are "over 20 vacant properties in the area where I live", alone.
A Kildare Senator says action must be taken on the "growing list" of vacant homes in parts of the county.
Labour Senator, Mark Wall, who lives in Athy, says there are 20 homes standing idle "in the area where I live"
He has made contact with Kildare County Council on the matter, and says "The Government must ensure that our local authorities can hire the personnel required to carry out inspections and agree a programme of works as needed"
The Senator adds " I am getting many calls from desperate families who simply cannot get any accommodation in the overcrowded or non-existent rental market. Those people are, in desperation, turning to local authorities for any form of assistance for themselves and their families. One of the biggest frustrations they have, however, relates to vacant properties in the estates in which they are currently living and where their leases are finishing up. They are also being told by families and friends of other vacant properties in other estates throughout the area. At this stage, I am aware of a growing list of over 20 vacant properties in the area where I live. It would seem to me that each town and village in south Kildare has a large number of vacant homes, some of which have been lying empty for up to five years."