Written answers

Thursday, 15 May 2025

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Vacant Properties

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update on funding to Mayo County Council to enable the local authority to bring void properties back into use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24871/25]

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, 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. 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.Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities, €31 million in overall funding under the Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme was approved in 2025. Of this, €330,000 is allocated to Mayo County Council, which supports the remediation of 30 vacant dwellings.

Since 2014 my Department has provided funding of €3.8m to Mayo County Council for the return to use of 550 vacant local authority dwellings

An annualised breakdown by local authority of the funding provided and the number of properties remediated including Mayo County Council under the Voids programme for the years 2014 to 2024 is available on my Department's website.

Local authority members and officials have a very important role to play in support of this work by driving quicker turnaround times for re-let land and making sufficient budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance, utilising the significant housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.

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