Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2017
638. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the way the taking-in-charge initiative measure funding allocations were calculated for each local authority when the funds were allocated in July 2016; if the allocations were intended to be enough to complete the necessary works; and if local authorities requested or were allocated further funding. [30980/17]
View answerMy Department established a Steering Group, consisting of representatives from Irish Water, the Environmental Protection Agency as well as from within my own Department, to oversee the National Taking-in-Charge Initiative, including funding allocations.
The Steering Group selected the following seven local authorities for demonstration projects - Cork, Clare, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Tipperary and Wexford - as these represented about 70% of problematic housing estates nationwide served by Developer Provided Infrastructure (DPI).
Projects demonstrating the capacity for potential delivery of cost effective sustainable solutions in 2016 and for subsequent taking-in-charge (TIC) and where relevant for asset transfers to Irish Water, were considered to be the most eligible for selection.
Housing estates submitted were selected, using the following criteria:
- Size of eligible estates proposed to be resolved,
- Proposed design solutions, including the provision of any effluent licence and compliance certificates as necessary,
- Cost of proposed solution, including ongoing operational/maintenance costs and any additional funding from other sources,
- Procurement and work method proposals for completion of works, and
- Project timescale for completion to TIC standard, including hand-over to Irish Water where appropriate.
The total funding allocation under Measure 2 was approximately €2 million and was mainly aimed at completing works. However, in the case of one large and complex scheme, NTICI funding assisted in investigating optimal solutions rather than works, with alternate local authority or other funding being required to implement such solutions.
My Department did receive some late requests from local authorities in early 2017, seeking funding to assist in the taking-in-charge of other estates, where developers are no longer operating and where no bonds exist. However, given that the NTICI was never intended as providing a rolling annual programme of funding to facilitate taking-in-charge, but was instead intended to pilot new working methods between relevant stakeholders in accelerating the process, my Department was not in a position to facilitate such funding requests.
A report on the 2016 NTICI Programme is currently being finalised by my Department and I intend to publish the report over the Summer, which will include findings and recommendations on sustaining progress on the taking-in-charge issue.
