asked the Minister for the Environment if he accepts the findings of the Ballymun Task Force Report Towards an Integrated Housing Policy for Ballymun; and if he will facilitate its implementation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ballymun Task Force Report.
10.
I welcome the interim report of the Ballymun Task Force. The management and maintenance of their rented dwellings is a matter for the local authority concerned. However, my Department have, in the context of the remedial works scheme, been pressing the corporation to develop, in co-operation with the residents, initiatives in relation to the improved management and maintenance of these dwellings. The interim report of the task force, on which the corporation and the residents are represented, is a welcome step in this direction. It is, however, important to distinguish between the structural design and management aspects of refurbishment. In regard to structural matters, the corporation have sought financial assistance from my Department under the remedial works scheme in respect of a number of estates and an allocation of £2.3 million was made to them this year in respect of their priority projects. It is a matter for the local authority to submit a proposal in respect of Ballymun for consideration under the scheme in the context of their priorities, the demands by other authorities and the amount of capital available. In connection with remedial works, new approaches to the management of estates are essential to ensure that the benefits of such works would be sustained.