Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 19 Dec 1996

Vol. 473 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Local Authority Housing.

Mr. Lawlor

On previous Adjournment debates I asked the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Deputy McManus, to legally transfer Dublin Corporation houses to Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council. Dublin Corporation, which has responsibility for these houses until the end of the calendar year, has refused to carry out house repairs arguing that they are now the responsibility of South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council. Many houses are in need of urgent repair. One house in my constituency, for example, is filled with smoke because there is something wrong with the fireplace. However, I question the ability of the two local authorities to take over this task. There has been a heated discussion among the local authorities about the financial requirements of such work.

With other members of the Select Committee on Finance and General Affairs I visited the UK last week. We visited a number of housing schemes in Liverpool and London where tenders had been accepted from the private sector for maintenance. It was a culture shock for the tenants and we had the opportunity to hear from the resident groups on how this experiment is progressing. Many of the people we met had for many years worked on a local authority. The local authority housing maintenance sections, in competition with other interested parties, tendered for the contract to look after the houses that are owned by that body. I suggested to the Chairman, Deputy Jim Mitchell, that we should formalise our findings and present them to the Minister.

The Minister has had the difficult task of adjudicating on the corporation's ongoing financial commitments and the maintenance bill that goes with substantial housing. There may be a more economical and efficient way of addressing this issue. The Minister was in Corduff in my constituency recently to discuss estate management. The Minister will have the support of all Members in attempting to achieve better estate management housekeeping. Residents want to see more commitment to their area by the authority responsible for day to day maintenance. While that problem will be addressed in the new year, it is a matter of concern that the authorities in south Dublin and Fingal do not have the finance to build up a large direct labour workforce. The Minister should maintain an interest in this issue until we experiment with other options to ensure the people we represent receive a good service from the housing authorities to which they are paying rent.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Ms McManus)

I thank the Deputy for the points he has made in a thoughtful, co-operative and generous fashion. I look forward to the report he mentioned and undertake to keep the points raised in mind. I want to clarify certain aspects relating to local authority housing management and maintenance generally and particularly in the context of the transfer of Dublin Corporation housing in the county areas. In July last, the Minister approved, with certain revisions, the schemes prepared by the city manager under the Local Government (Dublin) Act, 1993, for the transfer of Dublin Corporation's housing interests in the administrative areas of the councils to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin County Councils. The schemes, as revised, provide that the transfers be carried out with effect from 1 January 1997.

Responsibility for the management and maintenance of their housing stock is vested in the local authorities. In overall terms local authorities have, in recent years, invested heavily in the management and maintenance of their houses using rental income, ongoing revenue receipts from the sale of houses under pre-1993 tenant purchase schemes and miscellaneous receipts. Indeed, Dublin Corporation spent about £45 million on housing management and maintenance in 1995. The corporation has, therefore, recently and indeed for many years devoted considerable resources to the management and maintenance of its housing stock.

Regarding the Dublin Corporation housing in the county areas, these houses are modern and were constructed to a good standard. Dublin Corporation's remaining housing stock contains considerably more difficult and costly elements to maintain, including older housing and flat complexes. The fact that the corporation had a large rented housing stock in the county areas was a far from ideal arrangement from the point of view of ensuring proper democratic representation for households resident in the houses and, indeed, for ensuring delivery of housing maintenance services. The transfer of these houses from the corporation to the councils on 1 January 1997 sets out to address the issue of democratic representation and affords the opportunity to improve management and maintenance of these houses.

I recognise there is a need to assist the councils to deliver on the widespread expectation that overall conditions in the estates will be better after the transfer. The councils will receive, from 1 January, considerable rental income and tenant purchase annuities from the transferred houses. In addition, the councils have been informed that the Minister will be prepared to consider proposals for the use by the councils of capital moneys as a contribution towards meeting the cost of necessary once off works to upgrade the houses and the environment of the transferred estates, and to provide the necessary supporting infrastructure.

The long awaited transfer of these houses to the county councils will facilitate improvements in their management and maintenance arising from the fact that the county councils will be operating within their own administrative and electoral boundaries, unlike the situation which obtains at present.