Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

At present, local authorities have €78 million in Part V funds, plus €11.4 million in withering levies, which allow an additional five years on planning applications. This is a once-off payment. Thus, the total is about €90 million, of which about €11.2 million had been spent up to the end of 2006. My understanding is that a fair amount of money was spent in 2007. Unfortunately I do not have the final figures for 2007 but I will make the Deputy aware of these.

The Deputy is quite right in his interpretation. Local authorities must either use the funds or have them assimilated into the social housing allocation. While I do not want to lay down a hard and fast rule, if local authorities have unspent money arising from Part V, they must make plans to spend the money for social and affordable housing and present plans to the Department. If the Department is satisfied, the local authority will receive its normal allocation as per the Estimates. I am giving a timely warning that unless local authorities use the money it will be assimilated into the overall package.

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