Written answers

Thursday, 23 April 2015

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Local Authority Housing Maintenance

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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18. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the energy upgrade scheme to encourage energy for local authority housing will be extended to insulate those homes that have solid block or mass concrete walls, such as at O’Moore Place and at St. John's Square, Portlaoise, County Laois. [15620/15]

Photo of Alan KellyAlan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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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 Act1966. 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.

Local authorities are undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting, with the support of my Department, on the least energy efficient social houses. Funding of €57 million has been provided over the period 2013-2014 for improving the energy performance of older local authority housing stock, resulting in improved energy efficiency and comfort levels, and therefore Building Energy Ratings, in over 30 ,000 local authority homes. A further €25m is being provided in 2015. Once work on a home is completed, it results in warmer homes and lower energy bills for the social housing tenants and will also make a significant contribution to Ireland’s carbon emissions reduction targets and energy reduction targets for 2020. It also brings benefits in terms of sustaining and creating jobs.

Phase 1 of this programme commenced in June 2013 and is focused on providing attic/roof insulation and cavity wall insulation in all relevant properties. Once a local authority completes work on all houses requiring attic/roof and cavity wall insulation, my Department will allocate funding for Phase 2 works which will include external insulation or dry lining of houses with solid wall or hollow block construction.

According to figures provided by Laois County Council, at the end of 2014, a total of 847 units have been insulated and a further 288 units remain to be completed under Phase 1 in the county. Once Phase 1 is completed in Laois, it will be open to the Council to apply to move on to Phase 2.

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