Written answers

Wednesday, 19 May 2021

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Local Authorities

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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126. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a copy of circular 38/2020 will be provided (details supplied). [26901/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department issued guidance to all local authorities regarding the treatment of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) when assessing and/or reviewing income eligibility for social housing support to all local authorities through Circular 38/2020.

A copy of the Circular has been issued to the Deputy.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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127. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will address a matter regarding housing stock (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27075/21]

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Management and maintenance of the approximately 140,000 local authority housing stock is an important issue. In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act, 1966 local authorities are legally responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, 2019. Local authority officials and elected members have a very important role to play in this regard by making adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance utilising the housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.

Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain their own stock, my Department does provide annual funding support to local authorities for management and maintenance under a number of funding programmes.

Under the Voids Programme, my Department has supported local authorities in refurbishing vacant social homes and returning them to productive use. This funding programme was introduced in 2014 and has to the end of 2020 returned 16,102 properties to use with funding of €229m from my Department. Kerry County Council has received funding of €6.9m to support the return to productive use of 633 properties under this programme.

In 2020, my Department rolled out the largest ever voids funding programme. With additional funding of €40m secured by me under the July Stimulus Programme. Funding of €58.3m was made available to local authorities which saw 3,607 vacant properties funded last year. Under the July Stimulus programme, Kerry County Council were approved for funding of €1,129,100 for the refurbishment of 61 properties.

Under the Energy Efficiency Programme, my Department funds the carrying out of retrofitting works to local authority dwellings. Over the period 2013 to 2020 over 73,500 units of social housing stock have been retrofitted with a total exchequer spend of €161 million under the scheme (most of which were completed under Phase 1 outlined below).

From 2013-2020 the Programme was implemented in 2 Phases: Phase 1 Attic Insulation/Cavity Wall Insulation and Phase 2 focuses on the fabric upgrades to dwellings. To-date Kerry County Council has received €2,241,349 in funding under the Programme for the retrofitting of 1,673 properties, of which €582,282 relates to the period 2017 – 2020 and includes the retrofit of 517 properties.

The Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme for 2021 is a newly revised Retrofit Programme and this is the first year of a ten year programme that sees a significant upscaling (from ‘shallow’ to ‘deep retrofit’) on what has been completed by local authorities to date. The upscaling of the works included in the programme sees a substantial overall increase in funding made available for insulation, windows & doors, with a significant increase for the upgrading of the heating system, specifically for the installation of a Heat Pump and associated works (the revised programme no longer supports the installation of boilers).

A budget of €65m has been made available for Energy Efficiency retrofitting in 2021, this includes €20m for the Midlands Retrofit Programme. The programme targets 2,400 social homes for upgrade works in 2021, 750 of which relate to the Midlands retrofit Pilot. Allocations have just recently been issued to local authorities with Kerry County Council receiving an allocation of €1,380,511 along with a requirement to retrofit a minimum number of 51 properties.

Under the Disabled Persons Grant Scheme my Department funds local authorities in carrying out necessary adaptation works to local authority properties to cater for the needs of elderly and disabled tenants and families living in overcrowded conditions in local authority properties. Since 2011 my Department has provided funding of €3.63m to Kerry County Council under this programme.

Under the Regeneration Scheme, my Department funds programmes of estate regeneration in a number of targeted areas around the country. This programme focuses on the remediation and upgrade of existing local authority homes within defined areas of disadvantage and can also provide for some new homes as part of the overall regeneration plan for the area. Kerry County Council has the Mitchels Boherbee regeneration programme in Tralee. My Department has provided funding of some €38 million to Kerry County Council under this programme, with some projects yet to be completed.

My Department has provided funding of some €50 million to Kerry County Council under the above stock improvement schemes. However, work is also ongoing 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 all 140,000 local authority social housing properties surveyed to determine their condition so as to inform future work programmes and ensure the available funding is spent in a strategic and focussed way.

My Department will continue to fund local authorities for stock improvement works but it is also important that local authorities increasingly seek to move to a position of increasingly planned maintenance.

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