Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 November 2018
75. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of local authority units awaiting refurbishment in Limerick city; the amount these will cost; if Limerick City and County Council has requested funding to refurbish these units; when these units will become available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46901/18]
View answerMy question relates to the number of voids in Limerick. Limerick City and County Council has informed me that it does not have funding and the Department states that there is money available. Will the Minister of State explain why more than 70 houses in Limerick city are vacant and awaiting refurbishment?
The Department does not keep data on the number of vacant or void local authority houses awaiting refurbishment at any given point in time. Statistics in respect of social housing, including the number and percentage of total local authority dwellings that are vacant, are compiled by the National Oversight and Audit Commission in its annual reports on performance indicators in local authorities.
As the Deputy will be aware, there will always be a number of vacant social housing homes at any given time and this figure will change on an ongoing basis as the turnover of social housing stock is continuous. All local authorities, however, are actively encouraged to ensure that all vacant properties are brought back into active use as expeditiously as possible.
In the context of Limerick city, my Department has approved 70 properties for funding under the voids programme this year. That money has been approved but it has not been drawn down yet. Deputy Quinlivan is the second person to say that Limerick City and County Council cannot get money for void programmes. That money has, however, been approved. I understand that a claim for funding in respect of work carried out is to be submitted by Limerick City and County Council shortly and my Department is liaising with the council regarding any additional funding requirements it may have. It is now a matter for the council to progress the refurbishment and allocation of the homes involved.
A letter was sent to all local authorities in September to encourage them to bring them forward any void they might have. If they had those houses fixed up and in use we would be able to fund those as well. In addition to the allocation and the work that was done, they were also told to do more and bring in more. Many local authorities are doing that as well. If there is any confusion, I will be happy to clarify the position. We engage with local authorities regularly and I am sure that this local authority is aware that there is money. If clarification is needed, I will be happy to provide it in writing to Deputy Quinlivan as well. We have been very clear with Limerick City and County Council and it is aware that there is money available for voids. The council also does not want properties left vacant.
In addition to the voids programme, Limerick City and County Council is also actively engaged in social housing delivery more generally, including under the main capital investment programme and the regeneration programme. It has also been proactive with the repair and lease back programme. I have visited many of the houses that were vacant that it purchased and restored. I think it is over 23 properties in the past couple of months. Some of them have been an excellent success and Limerick City and County Council is probably leading that scheme as well.
There is confusion there then. The Minister of State is indicating that there is no problem with the money while Limerick City and County Council has informed me on a number of occasions that it is awaiting approval from the Department in respect of the void houses. I have a list here of 70 houses. There are always going to be vacant houses. Nobody is disputing that fact. These houses are in the metropolitan area of Limerick and are boarded up. Other houses have been allocated but the people involved cannot move in because there is no funding to do them up. They are not on this list of 70, so there are actually more houses.
One family was allocated a house a year and a half ago. Another was allocated a house in March and they have still not been able to move in. Officials from the Department were in Limerick on 1 August and visited those two houses. To date, no work has yet been done in respect of either. There is a problem. If the Minister of State is indicating that there is no problem with the money being allocated to the council, then what is the problem? The council is stating it has not got the money. The Minister of State is telling me that there is no problem with the money being drawn down yet the houses are still boarded and vacant.
People are not allocating them. There are more than 70 families in the mid-west region, the bulk of them in Limerick city. The problem is that people see the boarded up houses and see their own families in hotels. These are in areas where people would cut off their own arms to live. The Minister of State needs to find out what is going on. There seems to be much bluster and bluff, with the Minister of State indicating that money is not the problem while Limerick City and County Council is telling me it does not have the money.
I will certainly engage with the local authority to see what the issue is and to see if there is any confusion. There is no confusion on my part. We wrote all local authorities in September to ask them to bring forward any additional voids they have. If work is completed by 14 December, this will be covered under the budget as well. More than 1,800 voids will be refurbished this year. Deputy Quinlivan mentioned 70 houses. I confirm that funding was secured for 70 houses. It has not been drawn down yet so perhaps there is some issue there. We will look into it. Properties should not be vacant and families should not be left waiting.
An additional €700,000 was allocated in the past couple of months in order for other properties to be refurbished. The council has also done well with the repair and lease back scheme. There is something wrong if properties are vacant. They should not be vacant. If there is any confusion, I am happy to bring people together and sort it out because the funding is there. I cannot make it any clearer than that. We want the money spent and we want people in these properties. There is no excuse any more for long-term voids. There will always be cases where voids will be empty for some months as refurbishment takes place. However, there is no excuse for long-term voids in circumstances where houses were allocated a year and a half ago. That is something we will certainly deal with as well.
