Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
677. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason that the self-help grant scheme has been discontinued by Kildare County Council for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20775/22]
View answerThe Self Help Grant Scheme was an initiative introduced by Kildare County Council to assist local authority tenants to carry out minor improvement works on their home. My Department did not have any role in the design, funding or oversight of this grant scheme. Queries in relation to the scheme should be directed to Kildare County Council.
The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, responsive repairs and implementing planned maintenance programmes, is a matter for each individual local authority, under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966
Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain their own stock, my Department does provide annual funding support to local authorities for management and maintenance under a number of stock improvement programmes.
Under the Voids Programme, my Department has supported local authorities in refurbishing vacant social homes and returning them to productive use. This funding programme was introduced in 2014 and has to the end of 2021 returned 18,527 properties to use with funding of almost €261 million from my Department.
Under the Energy Efficiency Programme, my Department funds the carrying out of retrofitting works to local authority dwellings. Over the period 2013 to 2021 over 75,000 units of social housing stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of over €187 million under the scheme.
In 2022, the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting programme will see a significant increase in funding support to €85 million, allowing approximately 2,400 homes nationally to be upgraded to a B2 or cost optimal equivalent (BER).
The Department currently supports large-scale regeneration programmes in Limerick, Cork and Dublin and also on a smaller scale in Tralee, Sligo and Dundalk. A total of €50m has been made available nationally to support the 2022 regeneration programmes in addressing the causes of disadvantage in these communities through a holistic programme of physical, social and economic regeneration.
In addition, work is also ongoing with the local authority sector, through the City and County Management Association 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 implementation of a centrally hosted ICT system within the LGMA to support the completion of stock condition surveys by all local authorities and the subsequent development of strategic and informed work programmes which will be supported by my Department’s stock improvement funding programmes. It is envisaged surveys will commence in 2022.
