Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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324. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if funding for the voids programme is planned to be wound down, as suggested in circular 5 of 2019 issued to Cork City Council; if so, the timeline for same; and the measures that will be implemented for preventative maintenance in this instance. [10103/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to a transition from the current funding programmes for stock improvement works to a planned maintenance funding approach driven by strategic and targeted local authority work programmes, informed by stock condition surveys. My Department is therefore working with the local authority sector, through the City and County Management Association, to drive a planned maintenance approach to the maintenance of local authority housing stock. This will see circa 140,000 local authority social housing properties surveyed over a 4/5 year period, commencing in late 2021. These stock condition surveys will inform future work programmes, funding requirements and allocations.

Pending the full transition to a planned maintenance approach, my Department will continue to support local authorities through the voids programme. Final details in relation to the 2021 voids programme are currently being finalised. As in previous years, local authorities will shortly be asked to make a funding application in respect of their vacant stock and funding allocations will issue to all local authorities in due course.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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325. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if local authorities are limited to applying only for the number of voids as set out in Rebuilding Ireland targets. [10119/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including the cost of pre-letting repairs to vacant properties and the carrying out of responsive repairs, are matters for each individual local authority under Section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. However since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through my Departments Voids programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting.

Under Rebuilding Ireland the number of voids counted against the build output were capped in respect of each local authority. However, given the demand for housing it was imperative that properties were not left vacant for long periods. My Department therefore actively encouraged all local authorities to ensure that all vacant properties were returned to productive use as expeditiously as possible and local authorities were not therefore limited to funding at the capped voids figures. Any approved voids funded by my Department that were completed in excess of the Rebuilding Ireland targets, were reported in parallel to the Rebuilding Ireland numbers.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the difference between the standard refurbishment option and the homeless refurbishment option in relation to voids. [10128/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Since 2014, Exchequer funding has been provided through my Department's Voids Programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting. This funding is increasingly targeted to support local authority's to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.

In relation to the Standard Void and Homeless Void options, these were introduced in 2020 based on the level of funding made available under the July Stimulus Programme (Voids) and also to achieve the maximum impact across all local authorities.

The Standard Voids option was a fast tracked standard refurbishment programme with a maximum funding level of €12,500 per unit. These units were to be relet in 2020 to individuals and families on the social housing list.

Properties refurbished under the homeless voids category were for allocation to households deemed to be long-term homeless by the local authority. The maximum funding provision under this category was €20,000 per unit which reflected the extra works/supports required over and above the normal standard voids funding stream.

My Department is currently in discussions with the local authority sector, through the CCMA, on the detail of the 2021 voids funding programme and allocations to individual local authorities for 2021 will issue in due course.