Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012
105. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to evacuate residents of an estate (details supplied) in County Longford while works are being carried out; if he is seeking to source any more funds to help with necessary works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54240/12]
View answerWhile the Government has made significant progress in this area by reducing the number of unfinished housing developments by 37% since 2010, the issues faced by the residents of the Gleann Riada development are a particularly severe example of the problems caused by unfinished housing developments across the country. An explosion occurred within a private house in this development in March 2012, one of a terrace of six houses. Subsequently, Longford County Council established an expert steering group and appointed a firm of consulting engineers to investigate the cause of the explosion. A second explosion occurred in this development at the beginning of October.
The specific findings of this report have been made available to residents of the terrace in Gleann Riada as well as general advice to other residents in the estate. Longford County Council has also established a steering group to address the range of issues faced by the occupants of the Gleann Riada development and is liaising with the other State authorities involved, including the Health and Safety Authority.
My Department approved funding totalling €91,753.40 in August 2012 to cover the cost of addressing immediate public safety concerns. It is now clear that, building on existing analysis, a comprehensive assessment and plan is required to determine the cause or causes of the difficulties with this development and potential routes to their resolution. While this is primarily a matter for the local authority working with local residents and property owners, I have now made a provisional allocation of up to a further €200,000 to Longford County Council to cover the costs of any Public Safety Initiative type remedial works arising from the assessment and plan referred to above.
