Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 6 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 2

Written Answers. - Local Authority Housing.

Emmet Stagg

Ceist:

108 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has received proposals from An Bord Gáis for the provision of central heating to local authority houses; if so, if he has examined the proposals; if he has made a decision on the proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24842/01]

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

Earlier this year Bord Gáis submitted a proposal for the installation of natural gas central heating in those local authority dwellings served by its existing and proposed distribution network at a cost of £3,500 per unit – July 2000 prices – the cost to be met by local authorities and my Department.

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 or to meet the costs which would arise from the implementation of the Bord Gáis proposals in this regard. However, it is open to individual local authorities to enter into negotiations with Bord Gáis or any other competent agency with regard to the installation of central heating in their rented dwellings. For example, I understand that Dublin Corporation hopes to install, from its own financial resources and in co-operation with Bord Gáis, gas fired central heating in 2000 of its dwellings which lack the facility.