Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 26 June 2014

Public Accounts Committee

2012 Annual Report and Appropriation Accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 4 - Vote Accounting
Chapter 10 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities
Chapter 11 - Costs of Land Remediation
Vote 25 - Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

11:20 am

Mr. John McCarthy:

We did an audit in 2010 as we launched into the land aggregation scheme. The audit suggested that there were approximately €600 million worth of land loans at that stage. In the first phase of the scheme, we redeemed loans of approximately €111 million, which would have brought that figure down to approximately €490 million. The second phase of the scheme dealt with €52 million of loans, which we are servicing at an annual cost of approximately €2.7 million but which are still in place. It is probable, subject to confirmation from my colleague, that approximately €440 million of land loans are remaining in the hands of local authorities.