Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Smith for raising this issue. I did not see the report but I am shocked at what I have heard. These are certainly unacceptable conditions for people to be living in. At the very least, people should expect a basic minimum decent standard of living and a decent standard of quality housing in 21st century Ireland. I agree with the Deputy in that regard.

Our Department is committed to ensuring that tenants in social housing are provided with adequate housing that meets the standards most recently laid down in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Our Department is actively engaging with the local authority sector to promote the preventative maintenance of local authority housing stock and provides significant funding for stock improvement works.

In addition to funding provided by local authorities in respect of their own housing stock, approximately €350 million per annum, our Department provides funding across a number of programmes to support the local authority work to maintain and improve social housing stock. In all cases, it is the local authorities that identify priorities. The continued work of local authorities in undertaking stock condition surveys, their responsive and planned maintenance programmes, as well as important programmes such as the energy retrofitting and voids programmes, seek to support the local authority maintenance programme.

Specifically with regard to Oliver Bond House, as the Deputy said, built in 1936 by Herbert Simms, and one of the oldest and largest flat complexes in Dublin city with 397 units and approximately 1,200 residents, the upkeep, refurbishment and regeneration of this social housing complex is a matter, in the first instance, for the local authority. However, it is my understanding that Dublin City Council is actively engaged with the residents and is working on a number of short-term projects to improve the outdoor common areas as well as long-term proposals for the retrofitting and refurbishment of the flats at Oliver Bond House.

Dublin City Council is working on proposals and designs for two projects that will see the total refurbishment of all 397 flats at Oliver Bond House in two phases to bring them up to modern standards, including size and energy efficiency. Our Department looks forward to receiving these submissions for funding consideration from Dublin City Council and we will work with it to ascertain the appropriate funding mechanisms for these projects. Deputy Smith spoke about other projects such as Pearse House and Bluebell.

In addition to the normal voids programme funding, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, recently announced funding to bring flats that are vacant in older flat complexes, including Oliver Bond House, back into stock.

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