Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
641. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the anticipated changes in funding to local authorities for 2024 in respect of the conversion of voids; and, where a reduction in funding is projected, the rationale for such a reduction. [47869/23]
View answer642. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 347 of 24 October 2023, if any reduction in subvention to any local authority will be reduced in the years 2023 or 2024; and if so, the rationale for such a reduction. [47870/23]
View answer643. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the rationale for capping the average amount spent by local authorities under the void programme at an average of €11,000 across all dwellings; and if he will make a statement on the adequacy of this reimbursement in view of the cost of building materials and labour. [47903/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 641, 642 and 643 together.
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. Local authorities and elected members have a very important role to play in this regard by making adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance utilising the housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.
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 authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.
The emphasis of the programme is on minimum refurbishment works to comply with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019 to ensure quick turnaround and re-letting times. There is no specific levels of subvention and therefore, the question of a reduction does not arise. Under the Voids programme, local authorities select properties for the programme and there is no upper cap on the amount that can be spent on an individual unit, providing the total amount averaged across all dwellings submitted by a local authority is met.
From 2020 to the end of 2022, expenditure of some €117.5 million has been recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme which funded the return to productive use of 8,339 social homes nationwide.
Given the very significant investment into the Voids Programme over recent years, local authorities should now be in a strong position to continue 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.
