Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

416. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the latest figures on the cost per county of repairing vacated social housing. [48818/13]

Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

417. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if there are incentives for maintaining the standard of housing or sanctions if houses are left in serious disrepair. [48819/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 416 and 417 together.

The management and maintenance of the local authority housing stock, including the compilation and implementation of planned maintenance programmes and the carrying out of responsive repairs and pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966. 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, estate-wide remedial works and improving the standard and energy efficiency of individual dwellings.

Over the period 2011-2012, my Department's retrofitting programme had a particular focus on returning vacant properties to productive use. During that time, some 4,774 vacant properties were refurbished at an overall cost of some €52.6 million. Details of the numbers of vacant units refurbished in each local authority in 2012 together with the average cost per unit are set out in the following table.