Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 510: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of media reports, he will clarify his plans to advance the Limerick regeneration process, in terms of both capital and current funding for 2010 and subsequent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7656/10]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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Up to the end of 2009, some €51 million was provided by my Department to support the development of Limerick City's integrated regeneration programme, to fund an ambitious schedule of demolition and enabling works, as well as to implement the associated regeneration relocation strategy. In addition, funding was provided for a broad range of much needed social inclusion, community development and enterprise development initiatives. This investment does not include the significant additional investment from other Departments and State Agencies. As part of the broader stabilisation initiatives, some 80 additional Garda Personnel have been assigned to the city and a range of specialist supporting Garda resources have been deployed. Co-ordinated education programmes have been developed for the regeneration areas, while new targeted community-based initiatives are being provided in the areas of health, children, youth and family support to combat the effects of social exclusion.

The Government, in December 2009, reaffirmed its commitment to the regeneration programme for Limerick and endorsed the programme's overall vision for a ten-year transformation of the Limerick Regeneration areas. The Government has requested that detailed fully costed plans for phase one be completed by the end of the first quarter of this year. The Agencies, with expert advice from the National Building Agency, and in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, are working intensively to finalise a prioritised plan that will provide a road map for the social, physical and economic regeneration of the areas concerned for the next three to five years. The Agencies have been charged with determining the intended mix of refurbishment and new build, and the projected costs having regard to the better values now available in the economy generally. In doing this, they will be informed by the wider strategic planning environment including the investment envisaged by Government Departments and State agencies, as well as the private investment required to underpin the sustainability of the regeneration process.

However, while this important work is underway, my Department continues to provide significant support for the regeneration project to ensure a strong foundation, in terms of the physical, social, and economic regeneration strands, is in place for phase one of the project. To that end, I have increased my Department's annual provision for Limerick Regeneration to €25 million in 2010.

While much attention to date has been focused on demolition and other essential works associated with the preparation of the areas for physical regeneration, the Agencies and Limerick City Council acknowledge the importance of progressing "new build" projects at this stage in the process. Work has been progressing over the past year on the detailed planning and design of two housing projects which will provide up to 100 new homes, primarily for older people living in the Moyross and Ballinacurra Weston areas, with a view to advancing the projects to tender stage in 2010. Design work will also progress this year on two further projects for Southill and St. Mary's Park. The costs of progressing these projects will be met within the overall resources available for 2010.