Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will commit to the various local authorities who complete the necessary works in unfinished housing estates under the public safety initiative under budget that they will retain the full grant and that any outstanding balance will be used to do further works which may lead to the estate being taken in charge. [14069/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Public Safety Initiative was introduced by my Department in order to address health and safety issues on unfinished housing developments and where the responsible party could not be contacted in the short term, allocated funds to local authorities in order to make the estates safe.

The scheme invited applications from local authorities for individual estates giving details of the necessary health and safety works and the associated costs. These were assessed by my Department and allocations made of the maximum funds which could be recouped once the works were completed. Only the actual amounts expended up to the level of the allocation may be reclaimed subject to a properly vouched claim being lodged with the Department. There is no instance where funds in excess of the expenditure incurred might be paid to local authorities, and so the question of the retention of excess funds does not arise.

Additionally, where the expended amounts can subsequently be recovered from the responsible entities, once they have been identified and contacted, public funds must be reimbursed to the Department in due course.