I propose to take Questions Nos. 365 and 366 together.
Following discussions between my Department and Bray Town Council, approval issued in July 2012 for a range of improvement and retrofitting works to houses in Oldcourt Estate. It was agreed that improvements works to the value of €1,000,000 would be undertaken by Bray Town Council and funded out of Internal Capital Receipts. It is a matter for the council to determine the nature and extent of the necessary works.
Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, local authorities are allocated funding each year in respect of a range of measures to improve the standard and overall quality of their social housing stock, including the regeneration of large social housing estates and flat complexes, estate-wide remedial works schemes, funding for extensions and adaptations to meet the needs of tenants with a disability etc. Funding is also provided by my Department for a programme of works aimed at improving the overall standard and energy efficiency of the housing stock.
Earlier this year I allocated a total of €654,000 to Wicklow County Council for spending on remedial and retrofitting works on a county-at-large basis. I allocated a further €250,000 for spending on necessary extensions and adaptations to houses. It is a matter for Wicklow County Council to apportion the approved funding between the various town councils. At a meeting with my Department on 26 September, representatives of both Wicklow County Council and Bray Town Council requested an additional allocation of €117,000 to fund certain retrofitting works undertaken at a number of houses in Oldcourt Estate. The request for additional funding is being considered in the context of any savings which might arise from an under-spend by any local authority of their 2012 allocations.
