Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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350. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to detail the primary operational, staffing, procurement, and supply-chain constraints reported by local authorities in returning void social housing units to use; and the measures, financial, regulatory, or administrative, his Department is considering to reduce turnaround times and increase throughput. [68963/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under s.58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities must also ensure all tenanted properties comply with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. Accordingly, minimising vacancy rates, speeding up turnaround times, and maximising the number of homes brought back into productive use are matters for local authorities.

That said, my Department provides annual funding under the Planned Maintenance/Voids Programme to support local authority management and maintenance programmes. Some €189 million has been provided to help bring back almost 13,200 vacant social homes to use between 2020 and end-2024. A further €31 million is available this year to support the refurbishment and re-letting of a minimum of 1,900 social homes, facilitating the quick turnaround of vacant homes and continuing the transition from a reactive voids approach to a planned maintenance approach.

This funding complements local authority own resources. It is not a substitute for local authority funding and the requirement for adequate budgeting for housing management and maintenance by local authority officials and elected members as part of their annual budgetary process.

In line with Programme for Government commitments, and having regard to continuous engagement with local authorities on how to most effectively target Department supports, a revised programme will be introduced in 2026. The programme will focus first and foremost on supporting the continued transition to a proactive planned maintenance approach and supporting only those works necessary to ensure compliance with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019, thereby facilitating as quick a turnaround as possible of casually vacant local authority social homes.

Any new measures or changes to the programme will be formally communicated to local authorities in the new year. Notwithstanding, the maintenance of social housing, ensuring a quick turnaround of vacant homes, and maximising the number of homes brought back into active use will remain matters for each local authority.