Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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44. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans, if any, to apply robust social clauses to the local infrastructure fund to prioritise local workers and workers here for employment on any associated schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22826/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I recently announced the Government’s approval to the establishment of a Local Infrastructure Fund of €200 million to relieve critical infrastructural blockages to enable the accelerated delivery of housing on key development sites and to improve the economic viability of new housing projects in Dublin and in urban areas of high demand for housing.

The Fund will be composed of an Exchequer allocation of €150 million, matched by a €50 million contribution from participating local authorities. Funding is to be allocated to local authorities on the basis of a competitive bid process in relation to proposals with the capacity to secure the early delivery of additional housing at scale, including at affordable prices.

In line with the Government’s Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland, I issued a call for proposals under the new Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund to local authorities on 26 August 2016, with a closing date for receipt of proposals of 14 October 2016. It is a matter for local authorities to determine their bid proposals to identify the priority development sites proposed to be activated for housing in the immediate and short term through the removal of infrastructural blockages. Local authorities have also been requested to endeavour to maximise the opportunities for local employment from within existing communities, where feasible, in the locality of any successful funding proposal.

Further arrangements on the implementation of the Fund, in particular arrangements for evaluation and assessment of bid proposals, are currently being finalised by my Department, and I intend to announce successful bid proposals before the end of the year.