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Local Authorities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 April 2022

Thursday, 7 April 2022

Questions (277)

Brendan Smith

Question:

277. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will ensure that sufficient funding is allocated to local authorities in 2022 to continue the Housing Voids Programme at the same rate as in 2021 to bring back to habitable use as many vacant local authority homes as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19090/22]

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Written answers

The 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 supplement the local authority funding available for the preparation of vacant properties for re-letting. The funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authority's to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.

From 2014 to 2021, expenditure of some €261 million was recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme which funded the return to productive use of 18,527 properties nationwide. Local authorities also provide significant funding from their own resources to address the level of vacancy within the social housing stock.

My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. Continuing on from the process commenced in 2021, all local authorities were asked earlier this year to provide information on their level of vacancy as at 1 January 2022. This information has been received and reviewed and will help inform this years’ Voids Programme. Funding allocations under the Programme will be announced shortly.

Given the very significant investment into the Voids Programme over recent years, particularly in 2020 and in 2021, local authorities should now be in a strong position to begin the transition to a strategic and informed planned maintenance approach to stock management and maintenance. To that end, my Department and local authorities are working to transition from a largely response and voids based approach to housing stock management and maintenance, to a planned maintenance approach as referenced in Housing for All, policy objective 20.6. This will require the completion of stock condition surveys by all local authorities and the subsequent development of strategic and informed work programmes in response. My Department will support these work programmes by ensuring that the funding available under the various stock improvement programmes is aligned with this approach.

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