Bernard J. Durkan
Question:65 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment the proposal, if any, he has in respect of the public housing maintenance programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Local Authority House Maintenance.
Proinsias De Rossa
Question:67 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for the Environment if, in view of the comments made by one of his Ministers of State at a conference of housing officials in Dublin Castle on 2 April 1993 which were critical of the standard of local authority house maintenance, he will give the steps, if any, he intends to take to ensure improvements in this area; if he intends to provide any additional finance or resources for maintenance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 67 together. The management and maintenance of their rented dwellings are the responsibility of local authorities and the costs involved fall to be met from the revenue resources of the authorities.
Section 9 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992, provides that each housing authority must prepare and adopt a statement of policy for the effective management and maintenance of their rented housing stock. These statements must be adopted, as a reserved function, by 31 August 1993. To assist housing authorities in the preparation of the statements, a memorandum was issued to them on 4 March 1993 providing background information in relation to housing management, outlining areas of concern and specifying matters which should be addressed by authorities when drawing up their statements. A copy of the memorandum has been placed in the Oireachtas Library.
At an information seminar for housing officials held subsequent to the issue of the memoradnum, I stressed the need for fundamental and radical review by housing authorities of their functions in this area and for the development of new and improved systems of management and maintenance which would be effective, efficient and economical. In addition, regional seminars on the preparation of the policy statements have been held for housing authority officials. It is now a matter for each authority to devise the objectives, policies and operational systems to be included in their statement of policy.