Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
238. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of stock audits undertaken; and his views on whether social housing provision will now be found compliant by the European Committee of Social Rights. [3475/26]
View answerMy Department has carefully considered the report of the European Committee of Social Rights in respect of the IFHS collective complaint against Ireland, and is committed to ensuring tenants in social housing have housing that meets the standards laid down in the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.
Ultimately, the management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, is statutorily a matter for each local authority, and the onus is on each authority to make adequate budgetary provision in their respective annual budgetary processes to address maintenance or improvements to their housing stock from within their own resources.
That said, my Department provides a contribution to local authorities to help improve their social housing stock through a number of remedial works programmes, including regeneration, energy retrofitting, disabled person grants for social housing tenants, and refurbishment works to vacant properties so they can return them to productive use as quickly as possible. Almost €260 million is available to local authorities in 2026 through these programmes.
My Department is working closely with local authorities to promote preventative maintenance of social housing, informed by stock condition surveys. Local authorities continue to progress surveys, with over 10,600 completed to date. These ongoing stock condition surveys, expected to be completed on all local authority housing stock over a four to five year period, planned and responsive maintenance, and programmes such as the national regeneration programme, Energy Retrofitting and Voids, will continue to improve housing quality and help local authorities address issues raised by the European Committee of Social Rights.
