Vol. 353 No. 9
asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware of the deterioration and disrepair of local authority housing in Dublin city, county and Dún Laoghaire, due to the absence of such standard maintenance norms as a four to five year repainting cycle; if he will ensure that the pending lay-offs of temporary painting staff in Dublin County Council is suspended; and that a full strength permanent housing maintenance workforce is established in all urban growth areas.
12.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware of the disrepair and rapid deterioration of the national housing stock and local authority housing in particular, due to insufficient funding being directed into repair and maintenance work; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
13.
asked the Minister for the Environment if he will ensure (a) that all local authorities operate a four to five year minimum repainting programme for their local authority housing; and (b) that they submit an annual report on their repainting programmes to his Department.
14.
asked the Minister for the Environment the guidelines he has issued to city and county managers for a national planned maintenance programme for all local authority housing stock.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 12, 13 and 14 together. I am not aware that deterioration of the kind suggested by the Deputy is taking place. Housing authorities are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their rented housing stock, including the drawing up of repainting programmes, and for the employment of staff in this connection. I have no function in relation to these matters. To meet the costs of the management and maintenance of local authority housing, the authorities have available to them the entire rental income from their estates, together with 40 per cent of the proceeds of sales of local authority houses and any other moneys from revenue sources that they may decide, at their discretion, to allocate for the purpose. In addition, non-repayable grants are available from my Department in respect of certain improvement works to local authority dwellings and these may be supplemented in certain cases by the provision of loan finance.
The national plan provides for the payment of a new subsidy on loan charges incurred by housing authorities in carrying out substantial improvements to categories of houses requiring major remedial works of a structural nature.
In the circumstances, I do not consider that it would be appropriate for me to require that all local authorities should operate a specified repainting programme or submit annual reports on such programmes to my Department. Neither do I consider it necessary to issue guidelines on a national maintenance programme for local authority dwellings.
Does the Minister believe that a repainting programme with an interval of eight to ten years would be sufficient to maintain at least the quality of the timberwork of the housing? Does he not think that a four to five year repainting programme would be required?
I am sure that I could agree with the Deputy that eight years appears to be an usually long interval between repainting being done on outside work. However, I have pointed out to the Deputy that this is a decision for the local authorities. I have indicated to them the money available to carry out this work at more frequent intervals.
That is precisely the point I am making in my question. Where does the Minister's responsibility come in ensuring that at least local authority housing stock is maintained from the moneys available for that purpose? How does he know if they are being maintained if he does not issue any guidelines or receive back any reports? Has he any idea of the deterioration existing in the housing stock?
The Deputy is asking me to carry out the democratic duties of the local authorities and their public representatives. I should think that they are in the best position to indicate what is needed in that area. It is certainly one of the areas about which local elected Members are very diligent and they would make the necessary provisions in their Estimates to have this work one more frequently.
Is the Minister aware that in the major new towns of Tallaght, Clondalkin and Ronanstown-Blanchardstown, which will very soon have a population of 300,000, there is just one maintenance depot and that there are 11 painters for the whole of that enormous area? Of these, seven are temporary, laid off in the winter and brought on in the spring and summer something like the nineteenth century farm hands. Is the Minister aware that this is the way top class tradesmen are treated? Does he consider this to be a satisfactory way of maintaining the housing programme in that area? Would he examine the situation with a view to seeing that these men are made permanent?
I am aware that Dublin County Council, the area to which the Deputy is referring, employ 30 painters, six of whom are temporary workers, with the objective of painting one-fifth of their housing stock every year, weather and staff resources permitting. That council last year and this year took on temporary painting staff during the summer months. This year, six temporary painters were taken on for the period 1 March to 31 October to paint housing schemes. The staff involved requested an extension of the period to 31 December. The council have agreed to this extension to 30 November. During the extended period, they have been involved in painting libraries and courthouses as well.
A final supplementary question from Deputy Mac Giolla.
The Minister's reply is very revealing. He stated that there are something over 30 painters in the Dublin County Council area. I am talking about Dublin West, a huge area where there are 11 painters. In fact, with one vacancy there are ten painters. The only six painters working for the Dublin County Council on a temporary basis are the six out in the Dublin West area. Why is such discrimination being practised in the Dublin West area? Painters are laid off for the winter time and are on a temporary basis. Why can they not be on a permanent basis, the same as the rest of the county council painters?
All I can say in reply is that this discrimination should be taken up at local authority level if the Deputy feels so strongly about it. If that is the situation, that is the appropriate authority with which to take up the matter.
What about the Government?
15.
asked the Minister for the Environment the number of local authority houses in the Dún Laoghaire area that have toilet and bathroom facilities separate and apart from the house.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department.
However, the available statistics indicate that at 31 December 1983 a total of 297 of Dún Laoghaire Corporation's rented dwellings lacked indoor toilet facilities, while 945 lacked bathroom/ shower facilities.
