Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Nov 2000

Vol. 526 No. 1

Written Answers. - Local Authority Housing.

Gerry Reynolds

Ceist:

219 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will provide a special allocation to all local authorities for the provision of central heating in all local authority housing stock pre-1992; and the number of houses that would come under this category. [26087/00]

Gerry Reynolds

Ceist:

220 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of pre-1992 houses in local authority areas that have not been provided with central heating; and if he can give information in this regard. [26088/00]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Molloy)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 207, 219 and 220 together.

Dublin Corporation wrote to my Department in June last seeking funding for the provision and upgrading of central heating in the remainder of their rented houses which lack the facility. The estimated cost of the corporation's proposals was some £16 million.

The position regarding the funding of the provision of central heating was outlined in a reply to the corporation in September as follows: the management, maintenance and improvement of their existing dwellings, including the installation of central heating, is the responsibility of local authorities to be defrayed from their own resources; where capital funding is provided under the remedial works scheme to assist authorities to carry out major essential works to designated housing estates, the installation of central heating may form part of the works undertaken; local authorities may seek approval to the use of their internal capital receipts, which are surplus to the requirements of their local authority housing programme and remedial works scheme, for improvement works such as the provision of central heating to their dwellings; apart from the foregoing my Department has no capital allocation from which to fund the installation of central heating in local authority housing generally.

Local authorities were advised in February 1994 that full central heating should be provided in all new local authority housing. Information is not available in my Department in regard to the number of local authority houses which do not have central heating.