Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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713. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of voids and vacant local authority dwellings for Cork City Council and for Cork County Council; if he will confirm that sufficient funding has been granted to both authorities to repair these properties so they can be made available to persons on the social housing list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34280/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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General statistics on local authority housing stock, including vacant social housing units, are published annually by the Local Government Management Agency. The most recent statistics are the Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2013 which are available at the following web link: .

All local authorities, including Cork City and County Councils, are being provided with funding support from my Department to assist them in tackling vacant social housing units. This is not a substitute for the normal responsibilities of local authorities for maintaining their social housing properties and, in addition to vacant social housing units that are returned to productive use with the support of my Department, other units are returned through the direct effort of local authorities.

Funding from my Department is supporting Cork City Council to return 290 vacant units to use in 2015, with 154 in the Cork County Council area. I am satisfied that between this funding and the local authorities’ own resources, both have the support to address vacant units in their areas and to make them available to those on the waiting list as soon as possible.