Half of the State's local authority houses are without central heating, the Fine Gael social and community affairs spokesman, Mr Brian Hayes, told the Dβil.
"We have, in effect, 19th century Victorian housing conditions in 21st century Ireland," he said.
"There is absolutely no recognition, at the heart of Government, about the appalling failure on the part of local authorities to install heating systems so that their tenants can be adequately protected. This is truly a national scandal."
Mr Hayes said there were huge variations among councils, with Dublin Corporation having the lowest percentage of houses without central heating, at 18.5 per cent, while South Dublin had the highest, at 80.3 per cent.
"Amazingly, some local authorities still consider a back boiler or solid fuel a proper heating system on a par with gas, oil or electricity. However, the vast bulk of local authorities are simply awaiting much-needed funding from central government to bring their houses up to an acceptable heating standard."
It was no surprise, he added, that against "a background of squalor" in modern Ireland, the State's poor were more likely to suffer from asthma, other respiratory illnesses and generally poorer health.
"The most effective way to improve the living conditions of our poorest families is to guarantee central heating systems in all local authority homes."
Mr Hayes demanded the Government adopt a national policy, which would convert all houses to central heating within three years.
"We can solve this problem. It requires political leadership and courage."
The Minister of State for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Danny Wallace, said local authorities were advised by the Department in 1994 that full central heating should be provided in all new local authority dwellings. Since then, some 25,000 dwellings had been provided by the local authorities.
It was established practice that with older existing rented housing stock, the management, maintenance and improvement of such dwellings, including the installation of central heating, was the responsibility of the local authority.
"For this purpose, authorities may use the full proceeds of their rental income and miscellaneous housing receipts, supplemented, as necessary, from their general revenue resources," he said.
"The most recent statistics available from local authorities indicate that, in 2000, they spent some £146 million on the management and maintenance of their rented stock."
