Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 October 2015
185. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the criteria that void housing units should meet to be considered eligible for void refurbishment funding from his Department, for example, the state of repair and disrepair the void would have to be in. [34779/15]
View answerThe current programme of funding support which my Department provides for local authorities to return vacant social housing units to productive use is directed at units where the cost of remediation greatly exceeds the cost of the normal end-of-lease maintenance. Support under the programme is capped at €30,000 of Department funding per unit and has a particular focus on increasing the energy efficiency of the remediated units.
The programme is not a substitute for the normal responsibilities of local authorities for maintaining their social housing properties and, therefore, the standard end-of-lease maintenance they undertake will be sufficient in some cases to prepare a unit for early re-letting. Given the need to respond to waiting lists, it is important that the time taken to return vacant units is kept to the minimum.
