A total of €5 million in funding has been allocated to restore an extra 100 empty council flats in Dublin, the Department for Housing has confirmed.

Fianna Fáil by-election candidate for Dublin Bay South, Deirdre Conroy, welcomed the announcement.

She said: "I very much welcome this announcement from the Minister for Housing and party colleague, Darragh O'Brien. I was delighted to hear that a number of flats in Pearse House, Oliver Bond House and Basin Street will be part of this programme and refurbished at an average cost of €50,000 each.

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"This funding is in recognition of the fact that a number of flats are being vacated in older complexes which are not scheduled to be rebuilt or refurbished in the coming five years.

"I understand that these flats are planned to be re-let this year and will be in addition to the voids programme which Minister O'Brien announced back in May under which Dublin City Council have already committed to refurbishing 340 vacant social homes.

"The refurbishment and re-letting of vacant social housing stock is a vitally important project and will lead to an added economic benefit with further employment generated for the local builders, carpenters, painters, plumbers and electricians in Dublin city."