Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 October 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Implementation of Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Robert Burns:

Our figures last year showed that it was around 39 weeks. It is a figure we are not that happy with. We are looking to improve it. Earlier this year, we got it down to around 32 weeks. We hope to improve that further. As everyone knows, vacancies and turnarounds are complex, but ultimately the number is the number. We have a good system in place in terms of our maintenance system. We have term and maintenance contracts in place that allow us to call off at short notice. Those rates are already fixed through an earlier overarching master contract. We are not as concerned in that area, but there are lead-in time issues regarding parts and equipment and subcontractor costs will be going up. We are subject to inflation to a degree but not as much as would be the case for newer construction.