My Department collects and publishes annual data on the opening and closing stock of rental properties by local authority, including the amount of these that are occupied. These are available at the following link:
www.environ.ie/housing/statistics/house-prices-loans-and-profile-borrowers/local-authority-rented-sector-activity. The other categories of data requested by the Deputy are not collected by my Department.
The routine turnaround of vacant social housing stock is a matter for each local authority and is carried out under their ongoing maintenance programme. Lettings to such properties are carried out in accordance with the rules that pertain in the housing authority regarding its scheme of letting priorities.
In addition, my Department introduced a funding programme in 2014 to support local authorities to deal with the build-up of vacant social housing units, the remediation cost of which is beyond the means of the local authorities. This programme also supports the retrofitting of insulation to such houses so that they are returned to use in a very energy efficient condition. Between 2014 and 2015, a total of 5,000 such units were remediated with support from my Department to an overall cost of €60m. This funding by my Department is conditional on the accommodation being tenanted by the local authorities as early as possible following the works, with priority given to homeless families.
