Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he accepts that many local authorities are unable to fund necessary and urgent repairs to their social housing stock from their own resources; and if additional funds will be made available to local authorities to enable them to carry out these necessary repairs. [22475/06]

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The management, maintenance and improvements to their rented dwellings is the responsibility of each local authority and the funding of such works is required to be provided by local authorities from their own resources as part of their ongoing maintenance programmes.

My Department does, however, provide capital funding for major refurbishment work to local authority dwellings under the Remedial Works Scheme. My Department has been encouraging local authorities to avail of this scheme to remediate dwellings in need of refurbishment. Funding is also provided to local authorities for the refurbishment of houses that have remained vacant for periods longer than six months and require significant refurbishment prior to reletting. Local authorities are required to meet from their own resources the first €10,000 of the cost of such refurbishment in respect of each dwelling under this initiative. In addition, my Department provides capital funding, subject to conditions, to local authorities for the installation of central heating in their rented houses without such a facility.