Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2686. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of funding that has been drawn down through the local infrastructure housing activation fund in 2018; the number of drawdown requests that have been submitted; the number of requests being processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33668/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe aim of the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund is to increase housing supply through enabling infrastructure such as roads, bridges and parks. Thirty infrastructure projects were approved for funding through LIHAF in 2017 and these projects will typically have design, planning, tendering and construction phases for the public infrastructure concerned.
Local authorities can draw down the funding allocated to their projects at any stage, once the project cost has been incurred. My Department invited draw down requests for expenditure incurred in Q1 2018 in April and has paid out almost €700,000 in funding for that period in respect of 14 projects.
My Department invited funding draw-down requests in July from local authorities for expenditure incurred in Q2 2018 and the period for submission of those requests is still open, with three funding requests currently being processed.
The relatively low level of the draw-down to date by local authorities reflects the stages which these infrastructure projects are currently at. The expenditure incurred during the design, planning and tendering stages is significantly lower than that at the construction stage so a major increase in draw-down will arise as projects progress through construction.
While I am anxious for the infrastructure and the housing to be delivered as fast as possible, I recognise that local authorities must observe proper design, planning and tendering procedures. My Department will continue to monitor progress on these sites and ensure that every effort is made to secure the timely delivery of the infrastructure involved.
