Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 April 2021
158. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the criteria required under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund for the construction of roads as part of the developments; and if this applies equally to all types of roads. [18056/21]
View answer159. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the level of expenditure incurred in the construction of major roads under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund by county in tabular form. [18057/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together.
The Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) was designed to support housing supply by relieving critical infrastructure blockages. 30 projects were approved with an overall budget of €195.7m, €146.8m Exchequer funded and the remainder funded by local authorities. Full details of the approvals are available online at www.rebuildingireland.ie/LIHAF.
All proposals for funding under LIHAF were evaluated and assessed in line with the criteria set out in Appendix 1 to the original Call for Proposals. These criteria included the link to housing delivery; the level of innovation and collaboration, the strategic fit of the proposal, the financial package and the delivery outcomes. The detailed criteria are available at the same link www.rebuildingireland.ie/lihaf/.
Of the 30 projects, 2 projects will not proceed. Kildare County Council has confirmed that the Naas Inner Relief Road will not progress and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has confirmed that the Clay Farm project will now not proceed. One further project, Clonburris in South Dublin County Council, will not avail of LIHAF funding but will proceed in conjunction with funding from the Urban Renewal Development Fund.
In terms of LIHAF funding drawdown, thus far, most infrastructure projects have been at the design, planning and procurement stages, and the bulk of expenditure will arise during the construction phase. This is reflected in the level of expenditure to end Q1 2021, with approximately €61.248m in Exchequer funds drawn down (matched by a further 25% local authority funding bringing the total expenditure to €81.664m). The table below details the exchequer funding drawn down up to end of Q1 2021.
