Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan Pauline Tully has urged the government to back new legislation to ensure that "much-needed change" for people priced out of affordable housing is delivered.
The party introduced legislation this week that aims to tackle the housing crisis by addressing the failure to collect levies applied under the Derelict Sites Levy.
Ms Tully said that many sites in Cavan and Monaghan are being left "idle and rotting by land hoarders".
The Derelict Sites Levy was introduced as one of a number of tools available to local authorities to tackle dereliction, she added.
In Cavan-Monaghan, she continued, far too many people who are losing hope of ever having their own home are being forced to walk past empty rotting houses daily.