Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 May 2022
156. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of void properties that were brought back into use by the four Dublin local authorities in 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22377/22]
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 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.
An annualised breakdown of the funding provided and the number of properties remediated under the Voids programme for the years 2014-2021 is available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme
Over the period 2020-2021, a total of 1,771 properties have been brought back into active use by the four Dublin local authorities under the Voids Programme. This figure does not include those properties returned to active use by the local authority using funding from their own resources.
My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. 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.
