Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 604: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on funding a scheme for the placing of the supply lines for telecommunications and electricity underground in local authority estates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35584/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Design guidelines for social housing, published by my Department in 1999, provide that every dwelling should be connected to the electricity and telecommunications networks, and that the pipework and cabling associated with such services should be accommodated underground, following consultation with the various service undertakers regarding their requirements. There are no proposals for a scheme for the retrospective undergrounding of such supply lines.

My Department provides funding under the urban and village renewal measure of the Regional Operational Programmes, 2000-2006 for a range of regeneration projects, some of which have included the under-grounding of overhead wirescapes. However, such renewal works tend to be carried out in core central areas of the towns and villages being assisted, rather than in housing estates.