Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 May 2022
353. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will allocate funding to local authorities for the 2022 Voids Programme in view of the importance of this scheme in bringing back to habitable use vacant council housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22756/22]
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 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. Funding allocations under the 2022 Programme will be announced shortly.
