Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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639. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the funding sought by Galway County Council in 2014 for house extensions, new houses and house refurbishments; the number of new houses, house refurbishments and house extensions that funding has been sought for by Galway County Council; when a decision will be made on this application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12860/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Under my Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, funding is provided to local authorities for the construction and acquisition of social housing units and for a range of measures to improve the quality and standard of the social housing stock, including estate-wide remedial works, the regeneration of disadvantaged social housing estates and flat complexes and the provision of extensions and adaptations to meet the needs of tenants with a disability.

On Budget Day 2014 I announced details of a new measure with funding of €15 million which will be invested in bringing vacant and boarded-up local authority houses back into productive use. My Department recently advised local authorities that funding of up to €30,000 per dwelling will be provided for a suite of retrofitting works to bring vacant properties back to a high standard. Funding will be allocated on the basis of equitable and evidence based criteria which reflect the merit and cost effectiveness of proposals and the degree of local housing need. Local authorities are required to submit proposals to my Department by 28 March, 2014. I intend to announce details of the funding allocations as soon as possible afterwards.

Earlier this month, I announced the approval of some 56 social housing construction projects with an overall value of some €68 million under the local authority housing construction programme for 2014-2015. Some €420,000 was approved in respect of a proposal submitted by County Galway Council for the construction of three rural dwellings.

Galway County Council also recently advised my Department that three properties will require adaptations and extensions to meet the needs of particular tenants. This proposal will be considered for funding approval following receipt of a detailed submission from the Council.