Since 1994, my Department has required that central heating be provided during construction in new local authority dwellings and included in the overall cost of the schemes.
The management, maintenance and improvement of their rented dwellings including the installation of central heating, is in principle the responsibility of local authorities to be financed from their own resources. Where capital funding is provided under remedial or regeneration schemes operated by my Department for upgrading of local authority dwellings, the provision of central heating may form part of the work undertaken.
Local authorities may also seek my Department's approval to use their internal capital receipts which are surplus to the requirements of the local authority housing construction and remedial works programmes or to use some of the ring-fenced funds under Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000 — 2002 for the provision of central heating in their rented housing stock.