Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 14 and 32 together.

My Department launched the national taking-in-charge initiative, NTICI, in April 2016 to trial new approaches and working methods in supporting and accelerating overall national and local action on the process for taking in charge housing estates, including estates with developer-provided water services infrastructure, DPI. Under the terms of the NTICI, which was underpinned by €10 million in funding, developments subject to valid taking-in-charge applications were eligible for inclusion in the associated call for funding proposals. Ultimately, €7.5 million of the allocated funding was paid to local authorities in respect of 330 developments, affecting over 14,000 houses.

Findings and recommendations from the NTICI process will be included in a report on the initiative that will be sent to the Minister, Deputy Murphy, and which it is intended to publish shortly. The publication of the NTICI report will be of value to local authorities such as that in Kildare and other stakeholders in applying the lessons from the pilot programme in a more general roll-out of a streamlined approach to taking in charge, including through co-ordination with capital works by Irish Water.

In addition, the national development plan includes a provision of €31 million for developer-provided water services infrastructure in the period 2018-2021, demonstrating the Government's commitment to transition from the pilot phase under NTICI to a programme phase. It is hoped that that will resolve many of the issues affecting housing estates in Kildare and elsewhere.

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