Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 231: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the obligations of local authorities to properly insulate houses which they rent to tenants in order to reduce fuel bills and the carbon footprint; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39052/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The regulations governing standards for rented houses are set out in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 1993. These regulations, which apply to all rented dwellings including dwellings let by housing authorities, are currently under review and I expect to bring forward updated regulations shortly.

Through funding for remedial and regeneration programmes, significant improvements are being made in bringing the quality of older elements of the social housing stock up to modern standards, including from an energy efficiency perspective. In particular, my Department introduced a major initiative in 2004, providing for the installation of central heating in those local authority rented dwellings which lacked such facilities. It is a requirement under this initiative that all eligible works must include, where necessary, measures to ensure the energy efficiency of the dwelling, such as attic insulation to Building Regulation standards, draught proofing to existing windows and external doors, and the lagging of exposed pipe work and hot water cylinders.

By end 2007, my Department had co-funded the installation of central heating and associated energy efficiency measures in some 19,600 houses at a cost to the Exchequer of €94 million. A further €26 million has been allocated in 2008 to continue the programme.

In addition, I have recently announced that a full audit of the public housing stock will begin in 2009, to lay the foundation for a programme of retrofitting, where required, to deliver modern standards of energy efficiency. €5 million is being provided in 2009 for a number of retrofitting pilot projects, which will inform the approach to the wider roll-out of the retrofitting programme in due course.

Furthermore, local authorities and voluntary/co-operative housing bodies have been invited to submit proposals for demonstration projects for the delivery of sustainable energy efficient housing developments that will exceed the anticipated 2010 standards of the Building Regulations Part L. Funding of €20m will be made available to support this 'Towards Carbon Neutral' programme, significantly advancing the knowledge and experience base in the design, construction and use of high performing energy efficient housing.