Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the action he is taking to help local authorities to work to prioritise the retrofitting of their housing stock to improve insulation and energy conservation focussing on older homes and those designated for senior citizens. [5559/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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In line with overall national policy which promotes a reduction in energy use, the enhancement of energy efficiency standards remains a priority within my Department’s overall strategy for the improvement of local authority housing. Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, local authorities are allocated funding each year in respect of a range of measures to improve the standard and overall quality of their social housing stock. The programme includes a retrofitting measure aimed at improving the energy efficiency of older apartments and houses by reducing heat loss through the fabric of the building. Over the past two years, the retrofitting measure focussed on improvement works to vacant houses with the objective of returning as many as possible of these dwellings to productive use and combat ing dereliction and associated anti-social behaviour. Over that period some €52.5 million was recouped to local authorities in respect of improvements carried out to 4,774 dwellings.

I am currently reviewing the terms of the energy retrofit ting measure for 2013 with a view to targeting grants at those older houses and apartments which lack adequate insulation and draught proofing. Local authorities should pay particular attention to dwellings which accommodate older people and people with disabilities. My Department will issue revised guidelines to local authorities in th e context of the capital allocations under the housing programme for 2013. Work is currently underway in this regard. My Department requested local authorities to submit details of their capital requ irements under the various measures within the housing programme. This information is being assessed at present. I intend to advise individual authorities of their capital allocations as soon as possible.