The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the implementation of planned maintenance programmes and standard and responsive pre-letting repairs, is a matter for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966 and are not directly funded by my Department and would not be included in housing statistics. However the Voids programme was introduced in 2014 along with the Derelicts programme introduced in 2016 in response to an issue where some local authority houses and apartments were being left vacant, and would continue to have remained vacant in the absence of central Government funding.
Collectively these two programmes have seen the remediation of approximately 7,200 units between 2014 and 2016 and are included in the housing statistics. These programmes have provided funding to support the authorities in tackling those houses that may require a greater level of remediation than the normal level of pre-letting repairs that is the responsibility of local authorities as part of their ongoing repair and maintenance of local authority housing and without the support would most likely have remained vacant. The work undertaken through these programmes has been successful in avoiding units being left vacant and in time through planned maintenance there should be less need for the Voids programme.
