Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 July 2021
185. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the actions his Department will take to alleviate the inhumane conditions exposed by a recent publication (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38722/21]
View answerMy Department is committed to ensuring that tenants in social housing are provided with adequate housing that meets the standards most recently laid down in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.
My Department is actively engaging with the local authority sector to promote the preventative maintenance of local authority housing stock and provides significant funding for stock improvement works.
In addition to funding provided by the local authorities themselves in respect of their own housing stock (c. €350m per annum), my Department provides funding across a number of programmes to support the local authority work to maintain and improve their social housing stock. In all cases, it is the local authorities that identify priorities. The continued work of local authorities in undertaking stock condition surveys, their responsive and planned maintenance programmes, as well as important programmes such as the Energy Retrofitting and Voids Programmes seeks to support the local authorities maintenance programme.
Specifically with regard to Oliver Bond House, the upkeep, refurbishment and regeneration of this social housing complex is a matter, in the first instance, for the local authority, Dublin City Council (DCC).
However, I understand that DCC is actively engaged with the residents and is working on a number of short-term projects to improve the outdoor/common areas as well as long-term proposals for the retrofitting and refurbishment of the flats at Oliver Bond House.
DCC has advised it is working on proposals and designs for two projects that will see the total refurbishments of all 397 flats at Oliver Bond House in two phases to bring them up to modern standards including size and energy efficiency. My Department looks forward to receiving these submissions for funding consideration from DCC and will work with them to ascertain the appropriate funding mechanisms for these projects.
In addition to the normal voids programme funding I recently announced funding to bring flats that are vacant in older flat complexes, including Oliver Bond House, back into stock in the short term.
