Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter and am glad to have the opportunity to discuss the issue of housing conditions in Noonan’s Road in Cork’s inner city. The Government and the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage are committed to ensuring 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.

The 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 the local authorities in respect of their own housing stock, the Department provides funding for a number of programmes to support the local authorities' work to maintain and improve their 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 and 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.

Cork City Council has advised the Department that this scheme was discussed at a recent council meeting and that councillors were briefed by the deputy chief executive on advancing a project to refurbish the homes in Noonan’s Road. Noonan’s Road comprises a number of properties dating from the 1960s, and Cork City Council has informed the Department that it recognises the scale of the challenge but also the significant potential of delivering the optimal solution for all of its tenants. The Department is aware Cork City Council has planned the refurbishment and upgrade of the Noonan’s Road housing development to include a deep energy retrofit programme and is cognisant of the residents’ concerns with regard to the longer term refurbishment and maintenance of the complex.

In that regard, Cork City Council has recently undertaken a detailed survey and assessment of the housing scheme in Noonan’s Road with a view to the progression of its refurbishment and upgrade. The council is reviewing the survey findings to consider next steps for the progression of sustainable and appropriate solutions to the housing development in Noonan’s Road.

While the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has not yet received a funding application, the Minister and his officials very much look forward to receipt of this submission from the council in this regard and will work closely with Cork City Council to ensure a sustainable solution is found for residents at Noonan’s Road.

See this speech in context