Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 274: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Irish Human Rights Commission and its president has stated that the human rights of residents in some local authority estates in this State are clearly being breached; that poor living conditions are leading to poor health, particularly of the respiratory organs; his views on whether the recent survey carried out at a location (details supplied) in Dublin 8 clearly shows the cause and effect nature of housing inequality and poor health; and his plan to eradicate the scourge of poor housing conditions nationally. [6812/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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My Department is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and improving the quality of the national social housing stock through a range of measures including large-scale urban regeneration programmes, improving the standard and energy efficiency of dwellings, pre-letting repairs and improvements and refurbishment works to vacant properties in order to return these to productive use as quickly as possible. Some €203 million is being provided in 2011 in support of these measures.

Dublin City Council established a special housing regeneration task force in 2008 to look at a number of potential new regeneration projects including the Dolphin House flat complex. As part of the planning and consultation stage of the Dolphin House project, the council has engaged the residents and the local community in a consultation and decision making process through a regeneration board. The board meets regularly and is working towards the preparation of a report for my Department that will outline the various options for regeneration. This is awaited at present. It is a matter for Dublin City Council, in the first instance, to prioritise and manage the advancement of regeneration proposals in the context of its overall programme. I recently wrote to Dublin City Council to ascertain the current position with regard to the Dolphin House report.

Under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock is a matter for individual housing authorities. I am aware, however, that there are ongoing maintenance issues associated with this flats complex. I understand that Dublin City Council is continuing to liaise with residents in relation to these and that a number of improvement works have been initiated to address condensation and dampness issues as well as works to improve the drainage systems.