Housing Schemes
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Alan Dillon (FG), Mayo

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for her contribution. We are in agreement that the standard of social properties being rented out by local authorities should be such that tenants have a good quality of life and their well-being and mental health are being protected. It is not acceptable for anyone to live in damp, mouldy or substandard conditions. That is why the Government has stepped up with additional funding for 2026, with the provision of an extra €60 million for the planned maintenance and voids programme. It is really important that we have access to good quality homes that provide the required comfort levels for the occupants. These homes must meet the standards set out within the rented standard regulation. That is critically important and non-negotiable from the Government's perspective.
As I said earlier, as public representatives we all have an obligation to engage with local authorities and their housing sections, especially when these concerns are raised to us. We need to respond and I accept that point. We have taken steps to improve the system but the local authorities themselves have the reserved function to allocate their own resources to these types of programmes and to enhance the housing stock within their areas. I am sure that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has a lot more resources than we have in the west, in County Mayo, for example, in regard to property tax and resources generated on the ground. That said, I take the Deputy's point. We will continue to complement the work of the local authorities on stock improvement programmes. As elected representatives, we need to continue to hold the local authorities to account regarding the condition of their existing stock and to make sure it is up to standard.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26