Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount of money drawn down by local authorities from the central funding provision to deal with immediate safety issues in unfinished housing developments. [11504/11]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the €5 million earmarked for making safe ghost estates has been allocated to local authorities; the housing estates, by county, that have been nominated; the allocations if any that have been made by county; if he intends to extend the €5 million allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11500/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 70 together.

The high-level Expert Group on Unfinished Housing Developments, established in October 2010 following the publication of my Department's National Housing Development Survey database, has identified practical and policy solutions to address the difficulties associated with unfinished housing developments. On foot of the interim analysis and findings of the Advisory Group my Department made available initial funding of €5 million to local authorities to deal with immediate safety issues and works to improve the living conditions for existing residents.

My Department has now put in place the necessary arrangements for local authorities to make applications for funding for the most urgent and serious cases. The first applications have been received and are being assessed. I anticipate that approved budgets in respect of these will issue shortly. No payments have been made to date.