Vol. 536 No. 1
132 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of applications for the town renewal schemes for the applicable areas in County Kildare; if he has satisfied himself with the numbers; if he intends to extend the scheme; if he plans to extend the time scale of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13434/01]
Statistical data in relation to the certification of projects under the Town Renewal Act, 2000, is not available in my Department. Implementation of the scheme and certification of projects is a matter for the county councils involved. My Department is currently working on the preparation of detailed monitoring guidelines which will involve the establishment of specially established monitoring committees whose role will be to monitor the operation of the scheme; it is envisaged that county councils will be required to submit annual reports and supporting statistical data to my Department detailing progress achieved under the scheme as part of this monitoring process.
The commercial incentives for the scheme came into operation on 6 April last; the end date for residential incentives has already been extended from 31 March 2003 to 31 December 2003 coterminous with the cut-off date for the commercial incentives. I have urged county councils to make every effort to promote the scheme to ensure its success particularly now that the full range of incentives are in operation.
My priority at present is to ensure the efficient and effective implementation of the scheme; the question of extending the scheme to other centres will be examined at a later stage when my Department has had an opportunity to review progress under the initial phase of the scheme.
133 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the number of applications for the urban renewal tax incentive scheme in each of the applicable areas in County Kildare; if he has satisfied himself with the number of applications; and the plans he has to extend the scheme or the timescale of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13435/01]
The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department; responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the 1999 urban renewal scheme rests with the local authorities involved, in this case Kildare County Council. My Department has issued guidelines to local authorities on the monitoring arrangements for the scheme; these involved the establishment of monitoring committees in each of the IAP areas and also required local auth orities to submit annual reports outlining progress in implementing the scheme in the respective IAP areas. Annual reports have not been received by my Department from Kildare County Council in respect of the Kildare and Athy IAP areas. I have no plans to extend the areas designated under the scheme, or the qualifying periods for the tax incentives available.
