Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

206. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for an update on funding for repair of void local authority houses (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5351/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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.

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 members and officials have a very important role to play in this regard by making adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance, utilising the significant housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.

Notwithstanding this, my Department provides annual funding support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-let under the Voids Programme. This funding was introduced originally to tackle long term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimum turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.

From 2014 to 2024, expenditure of some €361 million was recouped to local authorities under the Voids Programme which funded the return to active use of 25,672 properties nationwide. Local authorities also provide significant funding from their own resources to address the level of vacancy within the social housing stock.

My Department has approved €31 million in funding to support the return of 1,900 vacant local authority homes this year. Local Authorities have received their individual allocations and works are progressing in this regard. Of this, €627,000 has been allocated to Kerry County Council to remediate 57 vacant properties and €304,969 has been allocated for Planned Maintenance. There will be an opportunity following a review mid-year for local authorities to add additional properties to the Programme of Works, subject to available funding.

Works eligible under my Department's EERP include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works. The programme has been devised in a way to give local authorities a level of flexibility when selecting properties to retrofit, ranging from those requiring minor levels of works to properties needing the maximum level of retrofitting required to bring them to a B2 BER only.

Each year the target number of units and funding provided under the EERP are subject to the funding available as part of the National Development Plan and annual Estimates process. The 2025 EERP budget provides funding of €90 million to retrofit 2,500 properties. Of this, Kerry County Council have been allocated €2,883,200 million, which includes project management fees funding, for the retrofit of 80 units this year. Furthermore where local authorities can retrofit additional dwellings this year, above their initial target, my Department will make every effort to accede to additional funding requests for this important work.

My Department will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area this year and allocations for the Voids and EERP Programmes in 2025 have issued to all local authorities.