Vol. 555 No. 4
181 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of vacant local authority houses in County Clare; the length of time these houses have been vacant; and the reason they have not been re-allocated. [18779/02]
The management and maintenance of their rented dwellings, including the control of vacant dwellings, is the responsibility of the housing authority concerned. The most recent figures available to my Department from the Clare authorities indicate that at the end of December 2001 there were 36 local authority dwellings vacant in Clare: 25 for less than three months; five for between three and six months and six for more than six months. My Department does not have details of the reasons for the dwellings being vacant. However, I would encourage local authorities to ensure that once a dwelling becomes vacant it is relet as quickly as possible to a household on the waiting list.
