Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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1360. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps taken by his Department in response to the European Committee of Social Rights finding in 2017 that Ireland was in violation of Article 16 of the Revised Social Charter in respect of social housing (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36083/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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In January 2018, the Government acknowledged the findings of the European Committee on Social Rights in respect of social housing conditions under Article 16 of the Revised Social Charter on Social Rights and my Department is committed to improving social housing conditions through a range of measures, including returning vacant units to productive use and energy efficiency programmes.

It should be noted that the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock and carrying out of responsive repairs and pre-letting repairs is a matter for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. However, Rebuilding Ireland committed all local authorities to adopt a preventative maintenance approach to housing stock management, including consistent standards and the adoption of a common national re-letting performance standard. To further this aim, the City and County Management Association (CCMA) has re-established a committee to look at the planned maintenance issue and there is on-going dialogue between the CCMA and my Department in order to advance reform in the area.

The first phase of the regeneration of Dolphin House, Dublin 8, a local authority estate cited in the findings, is nearing completion. This phase consists of the deep retrofitting of three of the existing housing blocks to provide 63 refurbished apartments and 37 new build units comprised of 28 apartments and 9 houses to give an overall total of 100 new and refurbished units. The retrofitting includes externally insulating the walls of the existing blocks to improve their thermal efficiency and the provision of lifts to make all units accessible. Outdoor spaces will be landscaped and play areas provided within the courtyard areas. Work on site is nearing completion and it is expected that residents will begin to move into the finished units shortly. Work is already underway designing Phase 2 of the regeneration project. Once the full regeneration is complete, the Dolphin House community will be rehoused in comfortable, retrofitted or new build accommodation and additional units will have been created for new residents.

The regeneration of St Teresa’s Gardens, Donore Avenue, Dublin 8 – another local authority estate cited in the findings – is also underway. Enabling works, demolitions and de-canting has been completed and has paved the way for Phase 1 of the project, which will result in the provision of 54 new homes, comprising 16 apartments and 38 terraced houses. Two of the existing blocks have been retained in the medium term to provide temporary accommodation pending completion of the new build units. These have been consolidated and refurbished to provide some 57 units of temporary accommodation, and will ultimately be demolished following completion of the new build units.