Written Answers - Local Authority Housing. Tuesday, 24 February 2004

Dáil Eireann Debate Vol. 580 No. 5 Page of 326

  484.  Mr. Crowe      asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government      if his attention has been drawn to the discussions being held with local authorities, particularly in urban areas, regarding the upgrading of housing stock, fuel poverty and the introduction of common quality standard heating in housing stock that is thermally deficient; and if his Department has funding agreed in its estimate to support this type of initiative. [5734/04]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern):    My Department is in regular contact with local authorities on a range of housing issues. In so far as the issue of heating is concerned, my Department has recently been following up a survey undertaken in 2003 to establish the number of local authority dwellings without central heating facilities. A number of authorities have been contacted to establish the progress being made and details of the plans in place to provide central heating facilities in dwellings which lack them. A number of local authorities have put specific programmes in place to address this matter. In this context these programmes have been progressed by local authorities from their own resources and also with assistance from remedial works and area regeneration schemes funded by my Department.

Apart from the foregoing, there is no specific funding mechanism available from my Department for the installation of central heating in local authority rented dwellings.

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