Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am interested in the Deputy's comment that local people believe there are empty private investor apartments in Ballymun. It would be helpful to get data on this point to find out how many we are talking about. Some 180 people are in receipt of rent supplement in the Ballymun area. The regeneration project has cost €750 million and it is one of the biggest investments by the State in the regeneration of areas. It is important that any actions taken enhance the regeneration and takes account of the huge amount of work that has been done. People such as the Deputy have put their lives and hearts into the new Ballymun we know today.

The latest figures from 2012 with regard to housing types in Ballymun suggest that 25% of housing in the regeneration area is owner-occupied, 56% is rented from the local authority and 2.5% is rented from a voluntary body. We want to make sure, although it is not the direct responsibility of my Department, that we keep a good mix of privately owned affordable homes and homes rented from the local authority or from housing associations. The critical issue is to establish, through the local authority or websites dealing with property, whether there are many such vacancies available. In terms of rent supplement, we are moving to a new model, the housing assistance payment, administered by the local authorities in conjunction with the Department of Social Protection in the initial stage. A pilot project is under way in Limerick and it may be that some variation will address the issues raised. It would be disappointing to hear of empty apartments at a time when people need them. There are many empty local authority apartments and houses owned by the four Dublin local authorities, and it distresses me when I see them boarded up at a time when people need those houses and apartments. The same is true if that is happening with private investors in Ballymun.

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