John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important matter. There is no question that utilising existing stock at a time of such need is just as important as developing new social housing stock. The programme for Government commits to the introduction of a new voids programme and also to supporting the ongoing work to transition to a strategic and informed maintenance approach to the management and maintenance of our local authority housing stock based on stock condition surveys. The new programme will build on the successes of the voids programme over the past ten years, which has seen an investment of more than €360 million of Exchequer funding, which has supported the refurbishment and re-letting of some 25,672 dwellings. It will also have a renewed focus on improving re-let times and local authority performance and supporting the transition to that planned maintenance approach.

Regarding the stock condition surveys of local authority homes, work surveys have already begun in many local authorities. These surveys are crucial for an informed planned maintenance approach and are supported by specialist ICT infrastructure that has been procured and rolled out across the majority of local authorities, with the remainder in progress. It will take time to work through the full programme of planned condition surveys but it is the appropriate approach to move to more planned maintenance on a cyclical basis while also working with local authorities to ensure there is a quicker re-let time in the provision of existing housing stock. It should not be the case that significant numbers come into the voids programme at a time when, over the past number of years, we have spent a considerable amount of money on our voids programme.

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