Ms Laura Behan:

I cannot comment on the Longford situation but I know from within the Department that we are working to put the letting of social housing properties on a stronger footing. We are trying to move to a planned maintenance system so that enough funding is earmarked from rents received from social housing for a planned maintenance programme to be undertaken annually and so that for properties which fall vacant, generally because of the death of a tenant or people moving out, the work that needs to be done before they are relet is minimised. There is funding available to local authorities for voids to do the end-of-tenancy work required. There is probably a conversation to be had over whether properties have been properly maintained during the tenancy such that significant works are not required at the time of a vacancy arising.