Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2018
1179. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his efforts to date in addressing the high council housing vacancy rate in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45136/18]
View answerThe management and maintenance of local authority housing stock is a matter for each individual local authority, as set out in Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. It is therefore a matter for Donegal County Council, in the first place, to address vacancies that might arise in their social housing stock.
My Department supports local authorities through a number of programmes to tackle vacancy in their housing stock. The Voids Programme provides additional support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting, with up to €30,000 exchequer funding provided per property, in addition to the support that local authorities provide themselves towards such work. This voids programme supports the local authorities to actively target vacant social housing, with a view to minimising their turnaround and re-let times and return them to use in an energy efficient condition.
Donegal County Council was given funding approval earlier this year, in respect of 37 properties under the Voids Programme. This is in addition to the support I provided to them over the course of 2016 and 2017, where a further 257 properties were refurbished and brought back to productive use.
All local authorities, including Donegal County Council, should actively manage their stock including vacancies, and I would encourage the Elected Members of the Council to stay engaged on this issue so that the best turnaround time possible is achieved wherever vacancies arise.
