Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this issue, which has featured for some time. It arose during the annual meeting between members of both the Oireachtas and Cork City Council. We discussed the issue of vacant local authority housing. This is relevant to local authorities across the country. There is a shortage of housing and many thousands of families are looking for local authority housing. The number of vacant units in need of refurbishment so as to be fit for letting is increasing. The figure from Cork City Council is that, in the first nine months of last year, 83% of available houses had been repaired. This has now decreased to 51%. In Cork city alone, there are 305 houses that are not being let because there is no funding to upgrade them. It is a no-brainer that we should be making them fit for purpose, because there is no capital funding available to build. There is no house purchase scheme so the local authorities are not adding to their stock. Many of the vacant houses could fall into disrepair and be boarded up. They can become a source of contention for neighbours.

A sum of €15 million was allocated in the budget for a project to address vacant local authority housing. Perhaps the voluntary sector should be involved in this project given its ability to raise funds by means of loans. Will the €15 million be allocated on the basis of the housing stock held by individual local authorities? If so, the main cities - Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford - would receive the largest amounts. When will this money be made available to local authorities to ensure existing local authority dwellings can be made fit for occupation?