asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware of the chronic backlog of work on cottage repairs in County Donegal; and in view of the fact that many of the tenants concerned are not able to meet the cost of the necessary repairs, if he will as a matter of urgency make sufficient funds available to allow the county council to carry out the work.
Written Answers. - County Donegal Cottage Repairs.
301.
I am not so aware.
Donegal County Council, in common with all other local housing authorities, are obliged in accordance with regulations made under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1979, to ensure that houses let by them are maintained in good tenantable condition and repair. For the purpose of meeting the maintenance and management costs of their rented estates, the authorities may retain all rental income and a proportion — 45 per cent in 1980 — of all proceeds of sales of houses to tenants. The Exchequer meets in full the loan charges incurred by authorities in the provision of houses for renting which this year amounted to £62 million.
It is, therefore, a matter for Donegal County Council to use the moneys available to them to carry out normal repair and maintenance works on their rented dwellings at no extra cost to the tenants and I consider that the funds at their disposal are sufficient to enable a reasonable programme of repair and maintenance to be carried out on an annual basis.