Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2023
368. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of money, both allocated and spent, on housing maintenance by each respective local authority for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, in tabular form. [25692/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra369. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to increase the overall housing maintenance package allocated to local authorities in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25693/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 368 and 369 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.
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. Local authority officials and elected members have a very important role to play in this regard by making adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance utilising the significant housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.
Notwithstanding the legal obligations on local authorities to manage and maintain their housing stock, my Department does provide annual funding to local authorities under a number of focused programmes which include Voids, Energy Efficiency and the Disabled Persons Grant.
Since 2020 to the end of 2022, over €270 million of exchequer funding has been invested in these local authority housing stock improvement works and full details in relation to the funding provided and units returned are available on my Department’s website at the following links:
Voids Programme: www.gov.ie/en/collection/0906a-other-local-authority-housing-scheme-statistics/#voids-programme
Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme www.gov.ie/en/publication/668c1-energy-efficiency-retrofitting-programme-expenditure-output/
Midland Retrofit Pilot Programme www.gov.ie/en/publication/b86b3-midlands-energy-retrofit-programme-expenditure-and-units/
Disabled Persons Grants: www.gov.ie/en/publication/061cd-disabled-persons-grant-and-improved-works-in-lieu-schemes-allocation-and-drawdown/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c472d-disabled-persons-grant-and-improved-works-in-lieu-schemes-allocation-and-drawdown-2011-2020/
Work in relation to the 2023 Programmes is ongoing, however, it will be later this year before significant recoupment claims are lodged with my Department. Full details in relation to 2023 output and expenditure across the respective programmes will be published on my Department’s website in due course.
It will be later this year before funding requirements are identified for the 2024 Programmes, however, given the very significant investment into the Programmes over recent years local authorities should now be in a strong position to 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 Action 17.4 of the Housing for All Action Plan Update.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.
