Joe Flaherty
Question:233. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied). [49277/23]
View answerTuesday, 14 November 2023
Questions (233)
Written answers
In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, local authorities are legally responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.
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 funding programmes. Since 2014 until the end of 2022, under the Voids Programme funding of over €289m has been provided to the sector for the remediation of over 20,000 dwellings. Given the very significant Exchequer investment into the Voids Programme, since this Government has taken office it is envisaged that 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.
Under the Voids Programme there is no upper cap on the amount that can be spent on an individual dwelling providing the total amount averaged across all dwellings submitted by Local Authority does not exceed €11,000. Furthermore, where turnaround times are not impacted Local Authorities can complete the suite of works applicable to the Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) on a vacant dwelling with additional funding up to a maximum of €48,850 available. Local Authorities that take a pragmatic approach can maximise the funding available and limit the impact on their own resources.
The emphasis of the Department's Programme is on minimal refurbishment works to comply with the housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. This approach will also ensure that the property is returned to productive use as quickly as possible with major upgrade works being deferred and carried out on a cyclical basis notwithstanding EERP funding available. .
The approach being adopted by Longford Co Co, in focusing on more costly and more time consuming refurbishment to attain higher standards, as outlined, may not align consistently with my Department's policy in relation to bringing these social housing units quickly back into use.
My Department and the local authority sector are working to transition from a largely responsive 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 conditions 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 Voids Programme is aligned with this approach.
Finally, of equal importance is that Local Authority officials and elected members make adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance utilising the strong housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process, which is also referenced in Housing for All, policy objective 20.7.