Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the turn around time for void houses in Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council local authority areas; if there is a maximum turn around time set down by him for void houses in view of the pressure for housing in both local authority areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9970/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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The sixth Annual Report of the Local Government Management Services Board, published in February 2011, and which details service indicators in local authorities in 2009, shows the average number of weeks it takes each local authority, from the date of vacation of a unit to the date when all necessary repairs are carried out, to relet a unit. In the case of Dublin City Council, this was 19.5 weeks, and in the case of Fingal County Council, this was 18 weeks. The time taken to relet the unit following completion of necessary works was indicated as being four weeks for Dublin City Council and one week for Fingal County Council.

In the context of current constraints on the public capital programme and the reduction in new social housing supply, returning vacant stock to use, in as short a time as possible, continues to be a major priority for my Department. As well as internal local authority resources, Exchequer funding is provided by my Department to assist and incentivise authorities in maintaining an active voids reletting programme. My Department remains committed to the funding of improvement works programmes which are an important source of additional supply of accommodation to meet housing need.