Thomas Gould
Ceist:281. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the scheme that is in place for the return of long-term voids by local authorities. [57406/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2022
281. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the scheme that is in place for the return of long-term voids by local authorities. [57406/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra283. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of voids to be returned by each local authority under the voids return scheme in 2022, in tabular form. [57408/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 281 and 283 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.
Since 2014, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. This funding was initially introduced to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted at ensuring minimal turnaround and re-let times for local authority vacant stock.
Under the 2022 Voids Programme, funding of €25 million has been made available across the local authorities for the remediation of 2,273 properties. The allocation per local authority is outlined in the following table.
Local Authority |
Number of Properties allocated |
Carlow |
37 |
Cavan |
54 |
Clare |
50 |
Cork City |
144 |
Cork County |
117 |
Donegal |
94 |
Dublin City |
359 |
DLR |
68 |
Fingal |
76 |
Galway City |
37 |
Galway County |
39 |
Kerry |
66 |
Kildare |
90 |
Kilkenny |
48 |
Laois |
42 |
Leitrim |
19 |
Limerick |
99 |
Longford |
55 |
Louth |
72 |
Mayo |
35 |
Meath |
57 |
Monaghan |
30 |
Offaly |
28 |
Roscommon |
30 |
Sligo |
39 |
South Dublin |
105 |
Tipperary |
108 |
Waterford |
92 |
Westmeath |
45 |
Wexford |
53 |
Wicklow |
85 |
|
|
Total |
2,273 |
Given the very significant investment into the Voids Programme over recent years, it is expected that local authorities should have dealt with legacy vacancy and should now be in a strong position to begin 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. My Department will support these work programmes by ensuring that the funding available under the various stock improvement programmes is aligned with this approach. In this regard, €5 million in funding has been ring-fenced for Planned Maintenance under this years Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme to support the implementation of an ICT asset management system for the local authority sector and to provide a funding contribution for the commencement of stock condition surveys.