Brendan Smith presses for stronger voids programme to rehouse 2,500

Minister, it is very disheartening to see vacant and or boarded up council housing stock and so many people on our local authority housing list. I compliment you Minister on making two substantial financial allocations to our local authorities for this year's Vides programme and I know that those allocations will make a real difference in my own constituency in the two local authorities that I represent, namely Cavan and Monaghan. It will make such a difference to each estate, to bring houses back to habitable use and most importantly to give individuals and or families a new home before the end of this year. So I would be very anxious that the Vides programme is even strengthened for the next year. Thank you, Deputy Minister. I thank my colleague and Deputy Brendan Smith for raising this matter with me and I agree with you completely. It is a frustration for all of us to see housing stock that is not in use. And that's why in July this year I announced 40 million, a very targeted approach at all 31 local authorities to bring voids which are vacant stock back into use. And what we did is we set a target for each of those local authorities and asked them to make their submissions to us. So I'm pleased to tell the Deputy right now that already 2,411 properties have been returned by local properties that are currently right now being worked on. And I have asked each of the local authorities, indeed I've not asked them, I've instructed them, that under this funding that any property that is brought back into stock here, either one must be occupied or at the worst must be allocated by the end of this year. Some of these properties are long-term voids which have been out of the market and out of use for over 12 months. So I think the targeted approach to this, I have a housing delivery team that I chair as well each week and every week we get a report on the voids. And our housing delivery office is in contact with all our local authorities and I would ask yourself, Deputy, I know you're doing it as well in Cavanagh and Monaghan, but all deputies to be aware of that this scheme is in place to put the pressure in a positive way on local authorities to bring these units back in. The other thing we do need to look at though is the mechanism in which properties are brought back into stock full stop. I think that the detenanting of properties needs to be looked at in the sense of when someone moves on or a property is being handed over, how long that stays vacant. And what work is required to be done to give it to a new tenant. I think sometimes that's far too extensive. I think we've got to look at other certifications there. So this has been a good start. I am trying to negotiate monies for another voids programme for next year, but I'd encourage our local authorities to deliver on the targets that I've set them this year, because it would be two and a half thousand families with a home this year that wouldn't have had a home, other than for this stimulus measure, bringing voids back in, which is the largest voids programme brought in in a long number of years. Thank you. Thank you, Cancord, and I thank the Minister's reply. And Minister, it was the first issue I spoke to you about when you were appointed Minister. And I know that along with my own Fianna Fáil councillors and Cavanagh Monaghan, we are in touch with the Housing Division and both of our councils, constantly working with the council officials to ensure that we get maximum turnaround. Every one of us in this house and everybody in society wants to see more public housing becoming available. There's a quick turnaround in upgrading voids, because by and large those houses are in the area where housing is needed. Services are already there. It also helps employment in that it makes work available for small-scale building contractors as well. So, Minister, there can be a very quick turnaround. These houses are returning to habitable use. And also, it's important that the frustrations of tenants living alongside those dilapidated houses for some time, that they're given consideration as well. Because all of us know of the pride that the vast majority of people take on their housing and their estates. And you see when we go to the annual Local Authority Estates Awards each year, it's very heartening to see the interest that people take on their own homes and in their own estates and in their own local community. So, Minister, for a quick turnaround in providing more housing to ensure that we're using existing public housing stock, I think it's a great investment, is the voids programme. And I sincerely hope that you can even strengthen what has been a very good programme in 2020. Thank you, Deputy Smith, for that. And you've mentioned and raised a very important measure as well with the voids. It's the local employment that they provide, not only housing back for local people, but mainly, with a lot of this work, it is smaller local contractors. And actually, with the scheme that this government brought forward in July, created 750 jobs across the country. And we need to see this as being sustainable into the future. What I mentioned to you earlier on is I think we need to revise how local authorities assess properties before they're re-tenanted. That needs to be done, and I'm asking officials to do that now. I'm certainly committed to driving on with another voids programme into next year. We're right now in the middle of negotiations for the budget for next week. This has been one of those parts, because we have existing properties whilst we want to increase our public housing stock. And we're committed to doing that as a government, and I'm committed to doing it. As a minister, we need to make sure we're using our existing homes well. That's 2,500 people now this year will be in homes that wouldn't have been. And I think that's something that we need to build on, if you excuse the pun, but also we need to make sure that the targeted approach to this, where each local authority has a specific target. And I think that has worked very well also, where they know exactly what they have to deliver, and how they draw down the money, and that we work in cooperation with them. And by the way, I commend them for the work that they have done, and for the manner in which they've responded to my request to get these properties back into use. Thank you, I thank the minister again. And minister, I would emphasise, as I did earlier, I know I work closely along with all of my councillors, and Kevin Monaghan, and along with my Oireachtas colleagues as well. And working with the officials in the housing divisions and both councils, I know that they value the allocations that were made, the two allocations, in the latter half of this year. And they have substantial programme of work for next year as well, once the funding is made available. So it's a very good value. It's visible too to the public at large, because nothing is more frustrating for a tenant in a local authority estate, walk down their estate and see a few houses, that to the layperson's eye, are good structural homes that need very little upgrading and modernisation. And to see those houses lying idle there, when all of us know of good, top quality young people and young families that are living in hovels of accommodation, renting exorbitant rents in many instances, and who need their own home. So minister, I emphasise again, and I've seen it, the quick turnaround that can be achieved through maximising the potential of the VIDS programme. And I look forward to an even better VIDS programme in 2021. Thank you. Minister. Well, just to conclude on this, it is a priority. You know, when we're providing and building new homes, and we want to build more, and particularly you take this year, where COVID has had such an impact on output, we're probably looking at only, I mentioned to colleagues earlier on, between 16,000 and 18,000 housing completions this year. Half of them are less being local authority completions between acquisitions, leasing and bills. So there's a pressure, even greater pressure, to use the existing stock that we have better. The frustration that people feel when they see empty homes and they're waiting eight, nine, ten years on the list is palpable. And I know that I've visited many fine local authority developments that need refurbishment. One not too far from here, St Mary's Mansions, recently I visited, which was a magnificent scheme, with Clewet as well, where 70-year-old apartments, 56 of them fully refurbished, added another two floors to it to create 80 apartments with people living right slap-bang in the centre of this city again in quality public housing. That's what we want to see. But coupled with that is to make sure we use the existing stock that we have better. The local authorities have responded, I want to say to you, Deputy. Thank you, Minister. You need to move on. Your local authority in Cavan and in Monaghan have responded very well to this, as have others. And I'd encourage them to conclude and to do as much as they can between now and the end of the year to bring these properties back into use.