1953. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will review the maximum €11,000 per property recoupment available to Monaghan County Council under the 2026 Void Housing Programme in circumstances where the council’s average expenditure on re-letting a vacant property in 2025 was approximately €21,390; whether the actual cost incurred by local authorities will be reflected in future allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63773/26]

1954. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of all outstanding recoupment claims submitted by Monaghan County Council under the social housing void-re-letting programme in 2026; the value of claims received, approved, paid and outstanding; when outstanding claims will be determined; and if he will ensure that the council is adequately funded for the approximately €871,000 in re-letting expenditure projected for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63771/26]

1955. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason Monaghan County Council received a 2026 void-re-letting works allocation based on just 26 properties; the timeframe the local authority expects to complete re-letting works on approximately 70 vacant social homes during the year; whether additional funding will be provided in respect of those properties; the amount of additional funding sought by the council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63770/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1953 to 1955, inclusive, together.

The management and maintenance of local authority social homes, including pre-letting repairs and the re-tenanting of vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority under section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. Local authorities must also ensure that all tenanted properties comply with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. To this end, local authority elected members and officials must make adequate budgetary provision for housing repairs and cyclical maintenance, utilising the significant housing rental income available to them as part of the annual budgetary process.

Notwithstanding this, my Department will provide some €260 million towards the remediation and maintenance of local authority homes through various funding programmes in 2026, with €40 million allocated to the revised Planned Maintenance and Voids Programme to support the efficient turnaround of casually vacant homes.

The 2026 Planned Maintenance and Voids Programme allocations were determined on the basis of each local authority's share of national social housing stock ownership, as reported under the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) Performance Indicator 2024. Under this approach, Monaghan County Council was allocated some €475,600 under the programme in 2026.

The prioritisation of properties for remediation, the scheduling of works and the timeframe for the completion and re-letting of vacant homes are operational matters for each local authority. It is therefore a matter for Monaghan County Council to determine how programme funding is deployed and to ensure sufficient resources are available to prepare homes for re-let.

Circular 08/2026 provides for a review of progress in Q3 2026, and this is currently underway. Upon completion, and where funding is available within the overall programme budget, my Department will consider the scope for increasing local authority allocations.

Importantly, there is no upper limit on the amount that may be spent and recouped on an individual dwelling, provided the average cost of all dwellings submitted by a local authority under the programme does not exceed €11,000. This funding is intended as a contribution towards the cost of preparing vacant homes for re-letting. It is not intended to replace the responsibility of local authorities to fund the ongoing maintenance and management of their housing stock from their own resources.

Accordingly, my Department expects the programme to continue operating on the basis of an average recoupment rate of €11,000 per dwelling. This streamlined approach is designed to ensure that necessary re-letting works are carried out when a property becomes vacant while planned maintenance needs are addressed over the life cycle of the tenancy.

Two recoupment claims have been received from Monaghan County Council to date in respect of 18 properties. Both have been recouped to the local authority and no claims are outstanding.