I thank Deputy Hearne for raising this matter. I assure him the Minister and I and our Department take it very seriously. It is important to note there are just over 150,000 local authority-owned social properties in this State, which have an estimated market value of more than €25 billion. The proper management and maintenance of this valuable State asset is a very important matter. Of equal importance is the requirement that local authority tenants occupying those properties and paying their weekly rent live in homes that provide good comfort levels for their occupants. In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, local authorities are legally responsible for the management and maintenance of their housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all of their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the rental standard regulations 2019. Notwithstanding the legal obligation on local authorities to manage and maintain their own stock, the Department of housing provides annual funding support to local authorities for management and maintenance under a number of grant programmes such as the planned maintenance, or voids, programme, the energy efficiency retrofit programme and the disabled person grants programme, with the selection of homes and nature and priority of works for inclusion in the programmes a matter for the local authority. From 2013 until the end of 2024, Exchequer funding of more than €59 million was provided to support local authority work in this area. Furthermore, funding is available under the regeneration programme. This funding will support ongoing projects, with a focus on building new homes as well as the refurbishment and rebuilding of some of the oldest flat complexes in Dublin city and local authority estates in various parts of the country. For 2025, €50 million has been made available under this programme. As is the case across all of our housing stock, local authorities continue to receive and address repair requests in a standard manner. Furthermore, the Department of housing will continue to support local authorities in their work in this area. In particular, I note all 31 of the local authorities are now live on the new asset management ICT system, which provides the ability to carry out and gather the data on stock condition surveys which will inform future work programmes. To that end, €10.1 million has been ring-fenced to support these surveys and subsequent works arising. In addition, I want to see best practice adopted with regard to the turning around and re-letting of council properties. This is a matter which the Deputy rightly raises and I have addressed on the floor of the House previously. It certainly should not be the case that it takes some local authorities up to a year to re-let a property, while others can turn a property around in between 12 and 14 weeks. That is an issue I interrogate when I visit local authorities. Contrary to the comments the Deputy made on the in-house teams, which are important for the ongoing maintenance work, the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, indicator reports show that local authorities that have put frameworks in place to enable the quick turnaround of properties are able to turn properties around much quicker. The Department is open to suggestions. We need to see properties turned around and re-let and they need to be of good quality and to a good standard for tenants.

Sentiment score: 0.39

I reiterate that it is important that local authority tenants who are paying weekly rents are provided with good quality and good comfort levels in their homes. No one will hear me disagreeing with that. It is set down in the rental standard regulations of 2019. Local authorities are obliged to provide that for their tenants. I have also set out what the Government is doing in providing funding to local authorities to assist them. Under the planned maintenance and voids programme, €31 million is available this year. Under the energy efficiency retrofit programme, €90 million is available. Under the disabled persons grants, a further €25 million is available. Within the regeneration programme, I mentioned €50 million being provided. This funding is expected to provide for upgrade works to more than 6,200 local authority homes this year. The Department is working with the local authority sector, through the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, to drive a planned maintenance approach so that we can target local authority homes. There will be stock condition surveys carried out on all 150,000 social homes as part of that programme. The Department will continue to provide local authorities with funding support, including through the schemes I mentioned. It is important to note that local authorities have to move to a position whereby all the rents they are collecting from tenants are ploughed back into the maintenance and upkeep of properties because they receive a significant rent roll. The Government is working with local authorities to ensure we have proper, adequate and comfortable homes for tenants.

Sentiment score: 0.19

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. As members may be aware, Shannon Airport Group informed the Department in summer 2020 that it was necessary to consider a comprehensive and radical adjustment of its structure to secure the long-term future of the Shannon Heritage business and employees. Several challenges had arisen, including the lack of expertise in maintaining the sites in the group, the capital investment required to maintain the heritage sites and the impact of the onset of Covid-19. Subsequently, Shannon Airport Group engaged extensively with the relevant local authorities on the transfer of sites and the business. King John's Castle was successfully transferred to Limerick City and County Council in April 2022 and the Shannon Heritage business and four sites in County Clare were transferred to Clare County Council in May 2023. Dunguaire Castle is the only remaining site under the ownership of Shannon Airport Group. The Minister understands that Galway County Council has engaged with the group on the possible transfer. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has informed the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, that the national monument service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage received a funding request from Galway County Council in November 2024 in relation to the castle. He understands that in response to this request, the National Monuments Service wrote to the CEO of Galway County Council in December 2024 advising that a voted funding stream to facilitate the purchase of heritage sites by local authorities is not available. However, he is aware that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage funds a range of relevant grant streams intended to support local authorities and other owners in respect of the repair and conservation of archaeological and built heritage sites. Where the structures concerned are protected or are within a designated architectural conservation area, the built heritage investment scheme and the historic structures fund can provide support for the repair and conservation work. The built heritage investment scheme provides grants of between €2,500 and €50,000, while the historic structures fund offers funding of between €50,000 and €200,000 for works on a larger scale. Where the structure is an archaeological monument, the community monuments fund can provide grants of up to €100,000 for conservation works, where eligible. In 2025, the community monuments fund awarded 122 projects €7.5 million in funding. All of these grants help owners and the custodians of archaeological monuments and built heritage assets alike to safeguard them into the future. In recent years, these conservation schemes have allocated in excess of €50 million for works on archaeological monuments, historic buildings and the public realm, which is a testament to the dedicated and hard work of all involved, including local authorities, community groups, private owners, the professional heritage sector and officials within the Department, to ensure the ongoing protection, conservation and maintenance of our heritage assets. In addition to the aforementioned conservation schemes, local authorities seeking funding should, depending on the exact nature and circumstances of the structures and buildings in question, engage with the urban regeneration and development fund, the rural regeneration and development fund, the LEADER programme or Údarás na Gaeltachta funding schemes.

Sentiment score: 0.36

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. There is no question but that investment in our archaeological and built heritage delivers great benefits to the public through enhancing the character of an area. I acknowledge the representations the Deputy has made on this specific case. As indicated, Shannon Airport Group operated Sharon Heritage on a commercial basis in line with its commercial mandate, meaning the sites were likely to open only on a seasonal basis. The Deputy referred to the transfer of four sites to Clare County Council, which did receive support through funding, but the Deputy must acknowledge that the transfer of four sites was exceptionally complex and involved the transfer of staff. St. John's Castle was transferred to Limerick City and County Council without any financial support from the Government. That is why I have outlined several schemes available to assist local authorities in maintaining and upgrading our built heritage assets. Those schemes are set out as I set out in my original remarks and I will be more than happy to work with Galway County Council regarding them, but there is a difference between providing funding to one site as opposed to four whose transfer was complex and involved the transfer of staff. I acknowledge the Deputy's representations on this matter.

Sentiment score: 0.20