Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I bring to the attention of the Minister of State six blocks of flats in the Togher area. They are all of the same type, and I will come to that in a while. These flats at Cherry Tree Road, Hazel Road, Sycamore Place, Maple Place, Togher Road and Clashduv Road were built in the 1970s by what was then Cork Corporation. The flats are part of a very strong community in the Togher area, but on several occasions in recent years I have had discussions with residents and my colleagues, former councillors Orla O’Leary and Eolan Ryng, have spoken to them as well. The flats have gone beyond their lifespan. The conditions in them are not good enough.

I will detail some of the issues. The layout of the blocks is such that there is a balcony and stairwell between the ground floor and the first floor. There have been issues with rats in some of the blocks. In several, there are serious issues with cold and damp. There are also issues with subsidence in some of the blocks. There are issues with uneven floors caused by, I suppose, the decay of the fabric of buildings. There have been issues with loose masonry as well, but the primary issues are cold and damp, along with deterioration of the general fabric of the buildings. The iron bars surrounding the balconies have rusted, become jagged and are dangerous to children because of the condition they are in.

As stated. the flats are all of the same type. They were built under the instruction of architect Eamon O'Byrne, who was employed by Cork Corporation. They are the same as the apartments at the complexes on Noonan’s Road that have been pencilled in for demolition and regeneration. The report of the Commission on Housing that calls on the Government to formulate a plan to retrofit high-density housing in flat complexes in Dublin and Cork. The flats to which I refer are very likely some of the examples the commission was thinking of.

I have spoken to the residents. They are really frustrated at the slow pace of things. Reports have been compiled by the council in respect of this matter. Part of the issue seems to be that funding for large-scale regeneration is difficult to access. While there have been some works done in three of the blocks, these were relatively minor in nature and were really an exercise in kicking the can down the road. Such works are welcomed by the residents when it comes to fixing windows and things of that nature, but they do not tackle the fact these buildings are no longer fit for purpose.

There is a need for complete regeneration of these complexes. The residents are living in conditions that are not good enough. They are taking care of the buildings to the best extent they can, but these flats are similar to the ones on Noonan’s Road, which the council has accepted should be the subject of a full regeneration. The buildings at both locations are of the same type. There is a need for a root-and-branch approach in respect of this matter. We need full regeneration of the buildings and better accommodation for the families and individuals who live there.

I hope the Minister of State will consider what I have said. I appreciate that she is not based in the Department of housing, but I am conscious of the fact that it could be some time before this matter is dealt with.

It is important, therefore, that it be placed on the agenda. I hope the Minister of State will speak to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on this issue because it is a quality of life issue for the residents of those six blocks.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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This matter is a very important one for the Department of housing and I thank the Deputy for raising it. It is very important that local authority tenants who are occupying social housing properties and paying weekly rents are living in homes that provide good comfort levels for their occupants.

The Deputy will be aware that 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, the implementation of a planned maintenance programme and carrying out of responsive repairs. Local authorities also have a legal obligation to ensure that all their tenanted properties are compliant with the provisions of the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) 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-voids programme, the energy efficiency retrofit programme, the disabled person grants programme and regeneration, with the selection of homes and the nature and priority of works for inclusion in the programmes a matter for the relevant local authority. Since the Government has taken office, Exchequer funding of over €558 million has been provided to support local authorities work in this area.

Cork City Council has informed officials from the Department of housing of a targeted approach in the form of additional resources, which were concentrated on addressing internal work in the flat complexes at Clashduv Road, Togher Road and Sycamore Place. Work identified included heating and plumbing issues, window servicing, electrical repairs, mould growth and fireplaces. The full list identified as part of this strategy was addressed along with a number of additional requests of a similar nature.

As is the case across all of the housing stock, Cork City Council continues to receive and address repair requests for these areas in the standard manner. The Department of housing will continue to support local authorities in their work generally in this area. Of particular note is a new asset management ICT system for social housing surveys to support this work. This is being rolled out to all local authorities this year with the hope it will further streamline that process and the supports available.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The response identifies something I have already acknowledged-----

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Yes, I know.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----in terms of the internal work. We informed residents about this. However, this is tinkering around the edges until the fundamental issue is grasped, and I urge Cork City Council to grasp it. I also believe, however, that one of the obstacles to this is the lack of a clear funding stream for the regeneration of flat complexes. Obviously, general funding is available for maintenance and so on and the council has its own resources but these are expensive jobs. Windows can be replaced, plumbing can be fixed and so on but the buildings are not fit for purpose as they have gone beyond their useful lifespan. They need to be fundamentally regenerated and that is where the council, working with the Department of housing, needs to focus its energy. The windows can be fixed and it will improve things for a time, which is welcome, but these flats have gone beyond their best days.

I will continue to raise this matter and I hope the Minister of State will raise it with the Minister, including the description I have given. I am conscious it is a slightly different make so is maybe in different category. There are issues with the Desmond Square apartments as well, which I have raised in the past. I hope the Minister of State will bring this to the Minister. There are mothers who are worried about their children catching their hands on the railings because they are jagged and rusted.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I understand.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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That will not be fixed as an "as and when" issue. There are still issues with cold, damp and water. I hope the Minister of State will bring this matter to the Minister. I will certainly continue to raise it because the tenants of these flats deserve a lot better than what they are getting at this time.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is correct. I recall a number of examples of complete regeneration projects in Dublin, including right in the heart of the north inner city and in Dolphin's Barn where flats were beyond their lifespan in the way described by the Deputy. A completely different regenerative approach was necessary but it was largely driven by Dublin City Council in the first instance and supported by the Department of housing. I recall that from memory but it seems to be in the space described by the Deputy in terms of what is necessary for these buildings. As regards value for money, we have to question investment in tinkering at the edges and what can be done overall. I understand what the Deputy is saying and thank him for raising this matter.