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Almost 3,000 council homes currently boarded up across Ireland, new figures show
There are more than 770 councils homes across Ireland which have been boarded up for more than a year.
New figures released under Freedom of Information to Sinn Féin's Thomas Gould show local authorities have a total of 2,749 council homes currently boarded up across the State.
Of those, 776 have been out of use for over a year, with two in Wicklow out of use for between 84 and 90 months.
According to the most recent report of the National Oversight and Audit Commission, the average re-letting time in 2023 was 33.72 weeks, an improvement on 35.22 weeks in 2022.
However, these varied from 13 weeks in Laois and 15 weeks in Monaghan to 65 weeks in Kerry and 61 in Limerick.
Mr Gould said the number of homes empty was "insulting to those impacted by the housing emergency".
"Each of these homes should have a family living in them, children growing up in those four walls. Instead, these homes are empty and children are growing up in hotels.
'They [the Government] try to blame everyone but themselves. The reality is that this is an issue in all local authorities and in far too many communities because of their failings. They do not provide enough funding to maintain homes and they do not provide enough funding to return them to use.
'There are more than 20 homes across the State that have been idle for longer than five years."
In total, the FOI reveals, councils spent €366m on maintenance of homes, but requests for maintenance countrywide was 169% of the number of homes.
Meanwhile. a report by Ombudsman Ger Deering into the Housing Assistance Payment (Hap) scheme has found inconsistencies in how it is operated by local authorities, delays in some applications being processed, and inequities between how Hap tenants and social housing tenants are treated.
The Ombudsman's report identified a number of issues with the scheme, including a significant amount of duplication between the application process for social housing support and the application process for Hap, with much of the same documentation needed to apply for both.
In addition, a separate application must be made for each scheme, despite the fact approval for social housing support automatically entitles a household to Hap.
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Due to delays in processing some applications for Hap, there can be a significant difference between the date the application is made, and the date it is validated and payment starts, the report adds.
In the meantime, the applicant may have lost out on the property due to the delay. The Ombudsman said where an applicant had been approved for social housing support, they should be entitled to payment from the date their tenancy starts.
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Cork and Kerry mental health services have fewer staff now than during staffing crisis two years ago
