Over €1 billion worth of local authority housing stock is currently empty according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman TD Bernard Allen.
Figures obtained by the PAC Chair from the Department of the Environment showed that in 2005, a total of 5,270 local authority dwellings lay unoccupied across the country.
The ‘05 figures were the most recent statistics made available to the Fine Gael TD. The PAC has requested that the Department supply it with the 2007 figures which it says will be available “in a number of weeks”.
According to Deputy Allen: “Valuing these properties at a conservative average of €200,000 each indicates that local authority housing stock to a total value of more than €1 billion was vacant across the country in 2005.”
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Over 5,000 local authority houses lie empty - Allen
by Dermot Keyes, Friday, July 25th, 2008
http://www.munster-express.ie/local-new ... pty-allen/

Dublin City Council has denied accusations that it’s sitting on its hands in relation to the refurbishment of vacant and badly needed houses.
According to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) figures for 2006, almost 2,600 premises under the responsibility of the council lay idle, despite a rising demand for social housing.
The council accounted for almost half of all unused social houses in the entire country for that year.
Local TD Roisin Shortall (Lab) said the figures indicate a failure to efficiently revamp and re-use empty dwellings in an effort to tackle rising housing lists.
“Dublin City Council compares poorly with other local authorities throughout the country,” she said.
“While it has approximately 23 per cent of housing stock throughout the country, figures indicate that in 2006 it had 47 per cent of the vacancies.
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Council defends empty housing stock statistics
Thursday, 21 August 2008
http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/914/55/

Speaking at Monday’s night meeting of Cavan Town Council Mr. Seamus Neely denied that the county had a 7.8% rate of unoccupied council houses. He stated that it appeared the figure also included holiday homes, which were not being used all year round, and served the purpose they were built for.

“The percentage quoted were for 2007 and included both Cavan County Council and Cavan Town Council.

In the first six months of this year a high percentage of vacant houses included in the figure had been included in a major refurbishment scheme. They had to ensure they met housing standard before they were re-allocated,” he added.

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Council claims unoccupied house figures are distorted
By Michael Cryan
http://www.anglocelt.ie/articles/1/29116