Written answers
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Local Authority Housing Maintenance
Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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23. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will require local authorities, when undertaking planned maintenance and energy efficiency measures in council housing, to allow tenants the option of a solid fuel range with back boiler and radiators instead of an oil-fired central heating system, which sees vulnerable individuals in risk of fuel poverty being unable to afford to fill their tank with fuel and consequently unable to heat their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28719/15]
Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including heating systems and the achievement of energy efficiency, is a matter for each relevant local authority, and it is open to local authorities to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources.
My Department operates certain funding programmes to support local authorities in the development and improvement of social housing, including improving energy efficiency. Local authorities are currently undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting on the least energy efficient social houses, with funding support from my Department. € 77 million is being provided over the period 2013-2015 for improving the energy performance of older local authority housing stock, resulting in improved comfort levels and Building Energy Ratings in over 30,000 local authority homes to date. This also results in warmer homes and lower energy bills for local authority tenants, thereby providing a significant benefit for those at risk of fuel poverty.
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