Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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343. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the average turn around time for a vacant property to be re-occupied on a local authority by local authority basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48087/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Statistics in relation to social housing stock are published by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) in their annual reports on Performance Indicators in Local Authorities. These reports provide a range of information in relation to social housing stock, including the average time taken to re-tenant a dwelling.  The most recent report, relating to 2018, is available on the NOAC website at the following link: .

My Department is continuing to engage with local authorities, to support them in returning both short and longer-term vacant properties to use as swiftly as possible. Elected Councils also have a role to play in supporting this work by making adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and maintenance, utilising the housing rental income available to them.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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344. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount of money issued to each local authority for vacant social housing property refurbishment on a local authority by local authority basis per annum since 2016; the number refurbished per annum since 2016 on a local authority by local authority basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48088/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the implementation of planned maintenance programmes and carrying out of responsive repairs and pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority.

Local authority housing stock becomes vacant and is refurbished and re-let on a continuous basis by the local authorities and my Department does not have information on all such re-lets and their cost.  My Department does provide some exchequer funding to support local authorities in tackling vacant social housing through the voids programme, particularly homes that would likely remain vacant for a significant period of time because of the scale of the works required.  The programme assists local authorities in actively targeting such vacant properties, to minimise their turnaround and re-let times and return them to use in an energy efficient condition. 

The following table shows the number of units supported and funding provided by my Department under the voids programme for each local authority for the years 2016 to 2018.