Ms Catherine Keenan:

From a Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, DLR, perspective, I want it noted that the vacancy rate has dropped from 7.5% in 2011 to 5.7% in 2016, excluding holiday homes. That is interesting and is below the 6% base rate expected in a functioning market due to rental gaps, debts etc.

I will address some of the matters brought up. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has concluded Part 8 consultation for a scheme of four units under the living-over-the-shop scheme. We hope this will provide a model of good practice, which can be replicated in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area.

Regarding re-letting times, on average, more than 90% of our dwellings are repaired and returned to our allocation section within five weeks at an average cost of €9,000. We have frameworks in place which have provided us with good value for money. There can, however, be significant delays in allocating them, and we have a high rate of refusal of almost one third, which brings me to choice-based letting, on which we are working and which we will have in place by March this year.

We have had a planned preventative maintenance programme in place for the past ten years. In most cases, major upgrade works are carried out on properties with some tenants in situ. We also use the opportunity of vacant dwellings to upgrade their condition before re-letting. This can involve rewiring, windows or any other works necessary, as referred to by Mr. Walsh, to provide a home for people. It is about providing a home.

Regarding Senator Murnane O'Connor's concerns about CPOs, we did acquire one property by way of CPO last year and we have initiated a new CPO this year due to anti-social behaviour. We are in the process of starting that.