Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

As I announced last week, my Department will once again be supporting an ambitious programme of housing regeneration, remedial and energy efficiency improvement works this year with almost €230 million in Exchequer resources being provided from a number of funding streams within the overall housing programme. Within the regeneration programme, the redevelopment of Ballymun and regeneration initiatives in Limerick, Dublin, Cork and Waterford cities will continue to receive support, while works will commence at Mitchel's Crescent, Tralee. Planning for projects at Cranmore, Sligo and Cox's Demesne, Dundalk will also receive support. Overall, funding for regeneration projects in 2009 is being increased by 5% to €135.9 million. Funding for the remedial works programme will increase by 3% this year to €54.9 million, supporting 47 projects, including two new projects at Mullaghmat in Monaghan and Townspark in Navan. Following a call for new remedial works proposals late last year, six further projects have received approval in principle, and I expect progress to be made on these over the course of this year. Housing authorities have also been asked to revise plans on an additional 16 projects, with a view to inclusion in the programme in due course.

In addition, a further 2,100 local authority dwellings will benefit from the final year of the national central heating programme in 2009. A new programme to improve the energy efficiency of local authority housing will also get under way this year, with some €20 million being provided towards the cost of improving the energy efficiency rating of vacant local authority units prior to being relet. A number of pilot retrofitting projects will also be funded. Housing authorities will continue to fund a range of housing maintenance and improvement activities from their own resources and this is expected to be approximately €100 million.

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