Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. My question concerns the housing regeneration programme in Knocknaheeny. There are over 1,150 local authority houses in the Knocknaheeny area. A number of years ago, the local authority decided on a regeneration of the whole area and a detailed planning process was put in place to deal with it. I understand that we are still on phases 1A and 1B, so there is a question mark over 2015.

In 2014, some €10 million was to be provided, but the Department has kept raising issues about the programme. As of today, only about €3 million of that €10 million has been made available. There is concern in the area that phases 2A, 2B and 3 will not be moved ahead in 2015 because funding seems to be becoming available at a slow rate.

There is a need for clarification on what the Department's intention is for 2015. Knocknaheeny has a very big, young population so it is important to have proper housing structures in place. The regeneration programme is about making it a better and more environmentally-friendly place for people to live in. I am therefore raising the matter in that context.