Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 July 2020
165. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he has invited Cork City Council to make an application for the vacant properties voids programme; if such an application has been submitted; the amount of funding his Department plans to allocate to the authority; the expected timeframe for release of the funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19488/20]
View answerThe management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.
Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. This funding was initially introduced to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted at ensuring minimal turnaround and re-let times for local authority vacant stock.
In relation to the Voids Programme for 2020 and arising from the impact of COVID-19, there was an initial call for proposals for COVID-19 Voids funding. Vacant units funded by my Department were required for the emergency accommodation of qualified households arising from the need to prevent, limit, minimise or slow the spread of COVID-19. Cork City Council submitted 50 properties for assessment in relation to this programme and my Department approved funding of €624,250 which returned all 50 units.
As announced on the 23rd of July in the Government's Stimulus Package, additional funding has been made available in relation to the Voids programme and a further call for proposals will issue to all local authorities imminently.
It is also important that local authorities increasingly move toward a preventative maintenance approach to the management of their housing stock and my Department is working with local authorities to this end.
