Kathleen Funchion
Question:354. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if essential house repairs will be provided in the case of a person (details supplied). [4367/21]
View answerWednesday, 27 January 2021
Questions (354)
Written answers
In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966 local authorities are legally responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (standards for rented houses) 2019.
Notwithstanding the legal obligations on local authorities to manage and maintain their housing stock, my Department does provide annual funding support to local authorities to support their work in this area.
Under the Voids programme, my Department supports local authorities in refurbishing vacant social homes and returning them to productive use. This funding programme was introduced in 2014 and to the end of 2019 returned 12,495 properties to use with funding of €172m from my Department. Figures for 2020 can be viewed at the following link.
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/78da0-voids-stimulus-programme-exceeds-target-in-bringing-2565-homes-back-into-social-housing-stock/.
My Department launched the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting Programme in 2013 with the aim of funding retrofit of social homes requiring insulation and energy upgrade works. Since the programme commenced in 2013 over 73,500 units of social housing stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of €161 million under the scheme. Details are available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/668c1-energy-efficiency-retrofitting-programme-expenditure-output/.
My Department also provides for the Disabled Persons Grant (DPG) scheme which provides funding for adaptations and extensions to existing social housing stock to meet specific needs of the local authority tenants with a 10% contribution required from the local authority, A total of €18 million was made available under the DPG scheme for 2020 . Details of the f unding provided by my Department to each local authority under the DPG scheme, from 2011 to 2020 are available at the following link:
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/grantsfinancial-assistance/disabled-persons-grants-and-improvement-works-lieu-schemes.
These programmes are demand lead and local authorities must submit a programme of works once a call for proposal issues. My Department gives consideration to all proposals made under these programmes.
My Department will continue to support local authorities for stock improvement works and work is also ongoing with the local authority sector, through the City and County Management Association (CCMA), to drive a planned maintenance approach to the management and maintenance of all local authority housing stock.