Written answers

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Vacant Properties

Photo of Violet-Anne WynneViolet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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396. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of void council units for each municipal district within the Clare County Council area approved for refurbishment funding; the number of units completed for the end of April, May June and to date in July 2020; and the number of properties allocated by Clare County Council in quarter 2 for 2020 by month, in tabular form. [14967/20]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.

Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. This funding was initially introduced to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted at ensuring minimal turnaround and re-let times for local authority vacant stock.

Clare County Council has received €7.86 million in funding under the Voids Programme from 2014 to 2019, supporting 392 homes being returned to use. For 2020 there is a two stage process for allocations under the Voids Programme. Firstly, on 26 May, there was an initial call for proposals for COVID-19 related voids funding to support the return of homes which were required for the emergency accommodation of qualified households arising from the need to prevent, limit, minimise or slow the spread of COVID-19. A second call for proposals, under the general voids programme, will issue shortly.

Information regarding the breakdown by Municipal District area real-time progress on individual units under the programme should be available from Clare County Council.

There is a commitment under Rebuilding Ireland that local authorities will introduce a preventative maintenance approach to the management of their housing stock. My Department is working with local authorities to this end.

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