Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for that very comprehensive response. He is obviously on top of his brief. However, this is July 2019. Several local authorities are saying they are waiting to hear their allocations for this year. Will it be a matter of weeks? I presume so. We are coming into the summer holiday period and a slowdown in the construction sector, and some local authorities are saying they may not be able to get people to do work this side of September. This is all in 2019 but the allocation is intended for 2019 and these works need to start.

The Minister of State makes a very valid point about the proactive councillors in local authorities who help to push the thing along. I would like the Department's oversight of local authorities to continue because the Minister of State has said it is disappointing that some local authorities are now budgeting to spend less on their maintenance. There is the ongoing problem that some social houses are never inspected. I spoke to a woman who has been living in a local authority house for 20 years and it has never once been inspected, but that is an issue for another day.

Will the Minister of State indicate an approximate timeline for when councils can expect some notification? If some are falling behind on BER certificates, he should leave them behind. Let us move on with the ones that are organised and reward and incentivise them, to use the Minister of State's words. Let us incentivise the councils that are on top of their game, keen to get on with this work, that have provided the necessary information and BER certificates, and have met the criteria required by the scheme, and let them go ahead. Do not let the bad ones hold back the good ones.